


Which Way The River's Flowing

by AreYouSittingComfortably



Series: There's No Earthly Way of Knowing [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Betrayal, Comedy, Dark Magic, Developing Relationship, Gen, Lost Love, Love/Hate, Magic, Parents & Children, Trust Issues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-03-09
Updated: 2013-04-14
Packaged: 2017-12-04 17:37:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 24,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/713300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AreYouSittingComfortably/pseuds/AreYouSittingComfortably
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Captain Hook is bored. He's stuck in Storybrooke, and his revenge is going nowhere, so he decides to liven things up by going on a petty crime spree that guarantees him some time with the town's beautiful Sheriff. He finds a surprising ally in an old friend, Granny, who (to Ruby's horror) urges Emma to try something new. But Emma is still Emma, possibly still in love with Neal, and preoccupied with David & Mary Margaret (who are still fighting about their future) and Cora & Regina (who are still plotting to destroy them all... if only they can catch up with Gold & Neal who have gone into hiding). Then Neal goes missing and Tamara shows up in Storybrooke, and Hook recognises her as a dangerous enemy from the past. Suddenly things get a lot more interesting... A fan fiction that started as an evolving love/hate relationship between Hook & Emma, with a good dose of humour, but keeps heading off in other directions... hopefully a little something for everyone!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Deals

**Author's Note:**

> "There's no earthly way of knowing, which direction we are going..." (Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory).
> 
> I started writing this after In The Name of The Brother, but have updated it to be more or less canon up to Manhattan. From this point on, it will inevitably be AU!
> 
> A few triggers:  
> "I have a complicated relationship with that woman." Mr Gold on Granny.  
> "I'm doing that boy a favour". Hook on Baelfire.  
> Captain Swan - doomed? Or redeemable?  
> Who IS Tamara?

Emma left Henry with Snow, packing a bag. “I have to go out” she said to her mother.

“Now? Where?!”

“There’s something I need to do. I won’t be long. Don’t let him out of your sight.” she said glancing at Henry.

Snow nodded. “I won’t.”

\-----

Hook was asleep when Emma strode back into his hospital room. She shook him roughly and he woke, startled and cursing.

“What the hell, Swan?” he coughed in pain “What have I done now?”

“Nothing,” she said, “And that’s the way it’s going to stay. I have to go away for a while, and while I’m gone, you’re going to stay out of everyone’s way, got it?”

“You’re leaving town?” he asked, sharply.

“Yes,” she said ‘but that’s not the poi...”

“How?” he cut in, “I thought anyone who crossed the line lost their memory?”

“Yes, but I came here from the outside so it doesn’t apply to me.” It dawned on both of them at the same time that it might not apply to him either. “Look,” she said. “Be my guest. I don’t care where you go, as long as you don’t cause any trouble here. If you want to risk losing all your memories, knock yourself out.”

For a moment he looked like that wouldn’t be such a bad idea, but then frowned at her, “For a lass who was in such a hurry to get back to her son, why the sudden haste to leave?”

“Because I don’t have a choice! I owe Gold a favour, and he’s called it in. If I don’t go …” her voice trailed off. In truth, she didn’t know what would happen, but she could tell by the look on Hook’s face, he did. “Plus every minute he stays, he says, is a minute closer to killing you.”

He laughed, grimacing at the pain it caused, it wasn’t news to either of them that Gold wanted to kill him. “And here was me thinking you don’t care.” he looked up at her slyly.

“I don’t.” she said flatly, “But, here’s the thing. If anything happens to Belle while we’re gone, he said he’s going to kill my whole family.”

Hook said nothing, but his expression told her he knew it wasn’t an empty threat.

She leaned over him, her eyes stony. “So you’re going to stay the hell away from Belle while I’m gone, or I’ll kill you myself, savvy?”

He stared up at her, his expression unreadable. He knew all too well how it felt to have someone taken from you by Rumplestiltskin. He hoped the favour she owed him wasn’t too great.

“Aye,” he said finally, “I’ll stay away from Belle.”

To her surprise he didn't ask for a favour in return. She searched his face to make sure he wasn’t lying. “Thank you.” she said, and stood up and left the room.


	2. Hunger

In the end, they’d been forced to bring Hook back to Storybrooke with them. Emma still didn’t know how the cloaking spell on his ship had lasted beyond the town boundaries, but they’d quickly realised they wouldn’t be able to find the _Jolly Roger_ without him. They’d kept him tied up in the hold for the duration of the journey. Once the ship crossed into the town boundaries, Gold had been able to show Emma how to heal him. The fact that she had magic still astonished her, and she wasn’t yet sure if it was something that thrilled or scared her. It was a power she didn’t understand or know how to control, and she’d already seen too much of the trouble dark magic could cause. Emma was smart enough to realise that she had enough anger in her not to want to know how to use it.

And then, when they’d arrived in Storybrooke, all hell had broken loose, and Gold was forced to flee with Neal. With Cora in possession of the dagger, it wasn’t safe for him to remain anywhere she could use that power over him. Before they left, Neal went and had a talk with Hook. Emma couldn’t get anything out of him about how they knew each other, and Neal wouldn’t say what they’d discussed, but he assured her that Hook was going to be keeping out of everyone’s way for the immediate future.

Emma hadn’t seen Hook for over a week, not since she’d gone down to the docks to check he hadn’t rejoined Cora. Having satisfied herself that he hadn’t, she had tried to leave the ship. Hook had other ideas, and tried to strike up conversation by commenting on how interesting it was that one of them had lost their heart to the mother, and the other to the son, and how badly relationships with the Rumplestiltskin family always seemed to end. A conversation Emma ended very swiftly by pulling her gun on him and droping over the side of the ship without a word.

Hook’s inappropriate attempts at establishing familiarity with her aside, he was the last person Emma was worried about. With Belle under guard in the hospital, and Gold having left with Neal, Hook was no immediate threat to anyone. She was much more worried about what Cora was up to. They all assumed Cora and Regina had gone looking for Gold but with those two, it was probably a mistake to assume anything. She worried about Neal, but she knew better than anyone how well he knew the Land Without Magic – and how to disappear in it. And why should she give a shit about Neal anyway? She was still reeling from the shock of learning about Tamara… after all this time, thinking all that hurt was behind her, how had she started to get sucked in all over again? Hook was right, she thought bitterly, relationships with the Rumplestiltskin family did not end well.

She was trying very hard not to think about any of this (and cursing the whole damn lot of them), on her way to Granny’s for a coffee one morning, when Hook suddenly appeared in front of her.

“Morning, Swan” he said in that irritatingly arrogant drawl of his. “Missed me?”

“No.” she said, with feeling. He made an exaggerated show of disappointment.

“What do you want?” she snapped.

“Can’t a gentleman make polite conversation with a lady, when she happens to cross his path?” he smirked, in a distinctly un-gentlemanly way.

Oh lord, he was back to flirting with her again, was he? It was really very hard to take him, and his murderous agenda seriously, sometimes.

“Does this ever actually work for you?” she asked.

He shrugged, “Sometimes,” he said pleasantly. “And sometimes it just makes women want to chain me to things.” He lowered his voice to a whisper, “Which is fine by the way, if that’s what they’re into, as long as they stick around to be companionable…”

“I don’t have time for this. I need coffee.” She tried to brush past him, but he caught her arm, ignoring her get-the-hell-off-me-now expression.

“Aye, well that’s what I wanted to talk to you about – seeing as you’re the only person in this town who actually talks to me, there’s something I need to know. Where does a man get provisions around here?” She shook his arm off, looking at him in confusion. “Food? Drink? I’m getting a bit sick of fish, and I’m guessing you’ll have me arrested if I just waltz into someone’s house and take what I need?”

“You guessed right!”

“Well, tempting as it is to let you have me in cuffs again,” he lingered suggestively over the words, a smile playing around the corners of his mouth, “I was hoping for a little advice. Something tells me this isn’t legal tender around here.” He pulled a handful of old silver coins out of his pocket.

She looked at him in surprise, realising that he wasn’t joking. Captain Hook was asking her for shopping tips?! She laughed out loud, despite herself and he frowned at her. “It’s not fair to mock a man with an empty stomach, love.” he growled indignantly.

She eyed him warily, then relented. “Oh, come on, then. I’ll take you to Granny’s. It’s probably easier than trying to explain the alternatives.” his expression brightened. “But don’t make me regret it” she glared.

“Now, why would I do that?” he drawled, and followed her up the street to Granny’s.

\-----

Fortunately the diner was almost empty, so the arrival of the infamous Captain Hook was not the event she feared it would be. Ruby was bending over a table, mopping up a spill, wearing one of her virtually non-existent skirts. Emma noticed how Hook, like every other single man in Storybrooke (and quite a few of the married ones as well for that matter) swept his eyes slowly over Ruby, but to her surprise he turned away with a frown.

She raised her eyebrows.

“I prefer cats.” he murmured in answer to her unspoken question, not quietly enough to escape Ruby’s ears. She stood up and glared at him, her expression curling into a snarl. To Emma’s surprise, Hook actually took a step back towards the door.

“Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea, love…” he said, looking distinctively uncomfortable. Emma was inclined to disagree. Anyone capable of making Hook look so uncomfortable was absolutely worth exposing him to, as far as she was concerned. She gave him another questioning look. He rubbed the back of his neck, nervously, “I may have had a run in with her mother, once…”

Emma rolled her eyes. “Seriously, Hook? Is there anyone’s mother you _haven’t_ tried it on with?”

“Hey!” he said, indignantly. “That wasn’t _exactly_ what happened...”

“Oh, really?” snarled Ruby, rapidly closing the gap between them, and shoving Hook against the door frame with surprising force, “What was it then?”

“RUBY!” Granny yelled, emerging from the kitchen and moving swiftly to pull her granddaughter off Hook, a grim look passing between the widow and the pirate.

“Thank you,” he said with feeling, “ _again_.”

“What the hell?” cried Ruby, as her grandmother positioned herself between her and the Captain. “You told me Hook had something to do with my mother leaving! He hurt Belle! And David! Why are you defending him?”

Granny turned to the couple of remaining customers, who were staring curiously at the four of them, “I’d like you to leave. Now.” she said firmly, “Don’t bother about money, it’s on the house. You can go out the back.” She waited until the customers left and then turned back to Ruby. “I think you should sit down. You too, Emma, please.”

The look on Granny’s face showed she was not to be argued with, so Emma took Ruby’s arm and walked her over to a booth. They sat down in a booth opposite each other, Ruby demanding “Why did you bring  _him_ here?” He’s nothing but trouble.”

Emma nodded, she couldn’t argue with that, “But not bringing him would have probably led to even more trouble” she apologised.

Granny and Hook were speaking in low voices. Emma looked over her shoulder at them curiously. She couldn’t hear what they were saying, but Hook was looking at Granny with what seemed to be gratitude, and his hand was on her shoulder and hers on his arms, not quite a hug, but nearly. What was the history here, she wondered? Granny might be the first person she’d met who actually seemed to like Hook. What was it Gold had said? _I have a complicated history with that woman..._ Clearly there was more to Granny than met the eye. Hook nodded at whatever Granny asked him, and went to sit beside Emma at the table, with none of his usual swagger, while Granny retrieved the coffeepot and plates of food she’d put down rapidly earlier, and shoved them in front of Hook and Emma. He tucked in gratefully and Emma poured herself a large coffee.

“Can someone please tell me what the hell’s going on?” she and Ruby asked, simultaneously.

Granny sighed and took Ruby’s hand. “I didn’t tell you the whole story about your mother…” she started.

“Tell me something I don’t know!” Ruby interrupted, furiously, trying to yank her hand away, but Granny’s grip was surprisingly strong.

“Manners!” muttered Hook, between mouthfuls, “Show some respect for your elders!”

Emma nearly knocked her coffee over, “What?” she laughed, genuinely amused, “Like you do with Gold and Cora?!”

“They are  _not_ my elders!” he spat, indignantly.

She looked at him blankly. “You’ve got to be kidding. He’s _immortal_!”

“Can’t you ever take my word for anything? I’m _hundreds_ of years older than Cora, and at least a few years older than the crocodile!” he spat the word with distaste.

“But he’s…” Emma struggled to remember what Mary Margaret had told her, “more than three hundred years old!”

“That he is, lass” confirmed Hook “As am I. At least three hundred and forty, by my reckoning, although to be honest, it’s hard to keep count. Not holding up too badly for my age though, am I, love?” he grinned.

“No.” agreed Emma, in spite of herself, “I’ll give you that.”

Hook smirked, delighted at catching her off-guard. “Neverland.” he offered, by way of explanation, between mouthfuls.

Emma was confused. She really should have paid more attention to _Peter Pan_ , not that the real life fairy tales seemed to bear much resemblance to the Disney versions. “So, going to Neverland makes you immortal?”

Granny snorted. “No. You just don’t age while you’re there. Now he’s here, he’ll grow old like the rest of us. Oh, don’t give me that look, it’s about time you grew up, Killian Jones!”

Emma snorted her coffee halfway across the table.

“If you were anyone else, I’d challenge you to a duel for that!” Hook growled, but gave her a wry smile.

“Don’t worry,” Emma assured Granny, “He’s a pushover. I knocked him out cold the last time we duelled!”

“I am not! I LET her win!” retorted Hook, addressing Granny rather than Emma.

“Bullshit!” cried Emma.

“Emma, lass, if I’d wanted to kill you, I would have done so when I had you on your back, instead of flirting with you!”

“Flirting? You call that flirting?!”

“I admit it wasn’t my finest effort, but you _were_ trying to kill me at the time!”

“I wish I had!” she said under her breath.

Hook glared at her, “Is that anyway to speak to someone who’s just admitted to sparing your life?”

“I’m not saying I believe you for a minute,” she glared back, “but let’s just say you did… _why_?”

“Whether or not you believe me, I told you I prefer a fair fight. I had no reason to kill you. I had the bean. I didn’t need the compass to get me to Storybrooke”

“Oh, the bean. The  _dried up, dead, and useless_ bean?!” it slipped out before Emma could stop it, damn it. Damn him. The bastard didn’t even have the decency to look uncomfortable. Instead he was looking at her with something akin to amusement.

“But I kept it, anyway, didn’t I?” he said slowly. “A little symbol of possibility… magically restored when it seemed all hope was lost…”

Emma desperately wanted to make some wise-ass retort along the lines of him trying to think about hope and possibility the next time he was filled with murderous rage towards Rumplestiltskin, but when she opened her mouth, nothing came out, so she closed it again.

Granny, who’d been watching the back-and-forth exchange between Hook and Emma as though she was watching a particularly entertaining tennis match, concluded that Hook had just delivered the knock-out blow in this particular contest, although, quite what they were fighting about, she wasn’t sure. She was certain it wasn’t about a bean though. She took advantage of the silence to cut in, and resumed her story.

“It was before your mother learned to control her inner wolf. She was very young, very beautiful, and had all the men sniffing around after her like they were half starved.” she glanced at Killian. “She was also very forward. Not unlike you!” said Granny eyeing her granddaughter disapprovingly, who only looked vaguely embarrassed. “She revelled in the attention, reeling them in, and wouldn’t take no for an answer. But she didn’t really understand who she was, and around wolf time, young men went missing.” Ruby said nothing, but looked down in shame, remembering Peter.

“Hook and his crew happened to be in town around wolf time. They were drinking in the tavern where Anita was working, and they took a shine to each other.”

“Was this was before or after Milah?” Emma interrupted.

“After.” Hook scowled “A long time after. I was back from Neverland, looking for a way to skin my crocodile.”

Emma said nothing, but raised her eyebrows.

“What? It should be bloody obvious to you I’m not a saint and I find it hard to resist a beautiful, headstrong woman! And treasure. And rum!” he added, as an afterthought. “And this. What _is_ this?” he asked Granny, gesturing to his plate as though it were a miracle.

“Lasagne. Tuck in, there’s plenty more out the back.”

“It’s bloody marvellous!” Hook said, enthusiastically. “Do you cook?” he asked Emma, hopefully.

“No.” she answered honestly. “And even if I did, I wouldn't bloody cook for you!”

He glowered at her. “Someday Swan, you’ll learn you can achieve more with charm than insults.” He smiled at Granny, “A man might be persuaded to forgo his vengeance if he had meals like this to look forward to everyday!”

“If you say things like that, I won’t feed you again.” snorted Granny. “Gold is no friend of mine and I won’t stand in your way. I’d do it myself given half the chance, but he hardly ever comes in here which makes it hard to poison him.”

Emma threw her an exasperated look. “I need more coffee.” she announced. Hook stood up to let her out and she went to brew another pot.

“Where was I? Oh yes. So your mother was flirting with Hook in the tavern, and Hook was beguiling her with stories…”

“Actually, no.” he interrupted. “She was the one doing the beguiling. I didn’t say much at all. She was very insistent. A most attractive quality in a woman.” he mused, eyeing Emma sadly.

Ruby snarled at him, but Granny hushed her. “What he’s saying is true.” she confirmed. “When Anita set her mind on someone, no man stood a chance.”

“She asked me to meet her at a shack in the woods behind the tavern after her shift. To be fair, I didn’t need much persuading. I’d just returned from Neverland and hadn’t been with a woman in a long while. The first night was fine, well fantastic actually, but the second…” his voice tailed off. Ruby had reached across the table to grab his collar and looked like she was about to tear him limb from limb.

Granny cut in quickly, as Emma returned to her seat, forcing Ruby to let go. “But of course, like all the others, Hook didn’t know about wolf time. Fortunately for him, I did, and was already on my way to the shack with the cloak and my crossbow. I arrived just in time. She had him on the ground with her mouth on his boot, about to drag him off into the woods.”

Hook shuddered at the memory. “If you hadn’t intervened, I’d be a dead man.” He reached for Granny’s hand in a gesture of gratitude.

“You have an odd way of showing your thanks, throwing your life around like it’s worthless.” Granny frowned at him. “Oh yes, I heard about what happened with Gold and Belle. Whale told me about the broken ribs and the bruising. Apparently they weren’t the result of being hit by a car?” This was news to Emma. “Did you even _try_ to defend yourself?”

Hook said nothing.

Ruby turned on her grandmother, “He _hurt_ Belle! She doesn’t even remember me!”

“Aye, and she doesn’t remember that bastard Rumplestiltskin, either!” cried Hook “I did her a favour!” He and Ruby glared at each other, both looking like they’d like to rip each other’s throats out, given half the chance.

Granny intervened again. “Ruby, Killian isn’t all bad, or not bad all the time, anyway. He was the only one to ever see your mother turn and survive it. He could have unmasked her as the wolf, but he didn’t. He kept her secret.”

“Why?” Ruby blurted out.

“It wasn’t my secret to tell… and truth be told, I was bloody terrified of your mother!”

“She _was_ particularly ferocious, at the time.” said Granny, hesitating, “We didn’t realise then, but your mother was pregnant.”

“What?” cried Ruby, stunned. She looked between Granny and Hook, a horrible thought dawning on her… “You…? No!” she looked horrified.

“Oh, hell, no!” Hook and Granny both replied. “She was already pregnant before she met Hook.” Granny continued. “He and his crew left pretty swiftly after Anita turned on him, and before the next full moon, it was obvious that she was several months pregnant.”

“I don’t understand.” said Ruby, slowly. “Who is my father then? Why did he leave? Why did you give me the impression that Hook had something to do with my mother leaving?”

Granny sighed. She knew it would all have to come out eventually, but when she got out of bed that morning, she just hadn’t counted on it being _today_.

“We don’t know who your father was.” she said gently. “Your mother’s conquests were brief, and many, and had a habit of disappearing.” She looked pained.

“After what happened with Hook, I wasn’t prepared to take any more chances with your mother. I didn’t want to lose her, and it was only a matter of time before someone found out. I tried to keep her inside the house, stopped her from going out, and it drove her crazy." Ruby remembered exactly what _that_ felt like. "One night she got out and the others found her – the other werewolves, I mean. They could smell the pregnancy on her. They took her in, taught her how to control the wolf time, to embrace it. But when it came time to deliver you, she was scared. She didn’t fully trust me anymore, but she didn’t yet fully trust them either, so she returned home to have you. You know I didn’t want that life for you, didn’t want you to feel torn, so I persuaded her to leave you with me, let me raise you as a human.”

Granny paused, lost in her memories for a moment, “I’m not proud of it, but I threatened to expose her myself. Told her I’d tell the town her secret, and find Hook to back up my story. So she left. Went back to the wolves.” Granny’s eyes misted over. “I never saw her again. She was my daughter, and I missed her so very much. But I had you, and I loved her enough to let her go.”

They were all silent, lost in thought for a moment. Granny looked at Hook oddly. He caught her eye, and looked away. They both knew she wasn’t talking just about Anita, and somehow Emma and Ruby sensed it too.

“I am still in your debt.” he eventually said, quietly.

“I’m not going to ask you to give up your vendetta against Gold. Frankly I’ll be organising the party if you ever actually manage to kill him. Although, I told you a long time ago you’d probably die trying. But, if you really want to do something for me, you’ll stop hurting the people I care about along the way – like Belle, and Emma and Henry, and the Charmings.”

“I never had any intention of hurting Emma or her family” said Hook, “Well, maybe her father, just a little bit. But he started it!” his expression took on that of a petulant child and Emma scowled at him.

Granny looked at him evenly. “Grow up.” she said. ”Take more care with your own life, and everyone else’s. Although if you happen to kill Gold and Cora, I’d have no objections to either.”

“Nobody is killing anyone on my watch.” Emma said firmly.

Granny ignored her. “Do we have a deal, Captain Jones?” she asked quietly, extending her hand.

Hook hesitated but shook on it and grunted his assent. “I won’t hurt anyone you care about.” he said slowly, glancing sideways at Emma.

Emma was about to protest that he should promise not to hurt anyone, but a warning look from Granny shut her down. “And Emma, I’m expecting you to help me keep him out of trouble.”

“What? Why me?!” Emma protested.

“Well,” reasoned Granny, “You’re the Sheriff and the Saviour, aren’t you? If you want to save the town from him, you’re going have to start by saving him from himself. He’s his own worst enemy. And you heard the man, he can’t resist a beautiful, headstrong woman.”

“Excellent idea, Madam Lucas!” Hook nodded enthusiastically, with a mischievous look on his face.

Emma groaned. “What the hell have I done to deserve this?”


	3. Bait

After a pissed-off Emma, and (sometime later) a well-fed and unusually cheerful pirate, left the diner, Ruby turned to Granny “The man’s a menace!” she proclaimed, “Why on earth did you ask Emma to keep an eye on him? That was like an invitation for him to drive her up the wall – that’s the last thing she needs!”

“Perhaps,” said Granny, carefully, “but I think she can look after herself. And besides, it’s exactly what _he_ needs. If you want to keep him away from Gold and _Belle,_ ” she said pointedly, “he needs something else to fixate on. And a beautiful, headstrong woman, like Emma, is just the thing.”

“Wait, I thought you wanted Gold dead?” Ruby frowned.

“It’s a very tempting prospect. But _you_ don’t. You believe that if Belle can get her memories back, she’ll save him – and the rest of us – from himself, don’t you?” 

Ruby nodded. “You’d rather Hook killed him?”

Granny sighed impatiently, “Of course not. If Killian kills him, he’ll become The Dark One, and lose every last shred of humanity. I didn’t save him from Anita just to have him destroy himself and probably everyone last one of us in the process!”

“So, what, then? You want to use Emma as bait, to distract him from killing Gold? How is _that_ fair?!”

“It isn’t. But you saw them just now. He _likes_ Emma, he likes the challenge she represents, and when’s the last time you heard of Captain Hook enjoying anything other than his plans for revenge?”

“And my mother?” interjected Ruby.

“Yes, well, that didn’t work out so well. Maybe if it had, he wouldn’t still be so focused on his vengeance...”

“You think you _owe_ him, for what happened with my mother?” Ruby asked incredulously. “He’s the one that owes you!”

“No, he kept our secret. But he _thinks_ he owes me, and that’s what important. His heart isn’t as rotten as he thinks it is, if he’s still capable of gratitude. He just needs to be reminded of that a little bit more forcibly.”

“…Emma.”

“Emma.” agreed Granny. “Everyone deserves a second chance, don’t you think?”

“I don’t think Emma would agree with you! Not as far as Hook is concerned, anyway. Or Neal, for that matter!”

“No. But that’s a lesson she needs to learn too. To give herself a chance.”

“She deserves better than Hook chasing after her like a rash that won’t go away!”

Granny laughed. “Well, if he gets out of hand,” she said, smiling at the irony, “you have my blessing to start growling at him. That should have him heading for the hills!”

Ruby grinned. She’d enjoy that. “What about Gold though? Doesn’t he deserve a second chance too?”

“You’ve been spending too much time with Belle.” Granny sighed. “Trust me, that man has blown more second chances than I’ve served hot dinners.”

Ruby looked curiously at her grandmother. Somehow she got the impression that Granny knew far more about Rumplestiltskin than she was ever going to let on, but there was another, more pressing, question on her mind.

“Hook,” she hesitated, “he really isn’t…? You weren’t lying to me, were you?”

Granny didn’t pretend to misunderstand, and didn’t take offence either. 

“No.” she said, to Ruby’s obvious relief. She took her granddaughter’s hand in hers, and said sadly, “I’m sorry. I never found out who your father was. Anita said she didn’t know, but I suspected she was lying because she didn’t want to acknowledge what she did to him, so I stopped pressing.” 

Ruby said nothing. She knew better than anyone why her mother didn’t want to talk about it. Like mother, like daughter. 

Feeling her granddaughter’s anguish, Granny put her arms around her. “I never blamed you for choosing to save Snow over Anita, you know that, don’t you?” 

Ruby shook her head against her grandmother’s shoulder.

“Oh, Red,” Granny whispered, “I’m so, so sorry, my love. I thought you knew.” The two women held each other tightly, Ruby’s tears starting to fall, washing away decades of misunderstandings.


	4. Cat and Mouse

Emma cursed the phone call from August. She wasn’t interested in his apologies. She hadn’t forgiven him for the role he’d played in betraying her and everything that had happened with Neal. And it made her late to pick up Henry from the school bus. She wished he’d take up Mary Margaret’s offer of a ride home every day, but he said he liked the time with his friends on the bus. More likely, the time with Grace, she suspected. By the time she reached the stop, the bus was long gone and Henry was nowhere to be seen. She felt a momentary flutter of panic, but turned towards Granny’s diner, he’d probably gone in there for a hot chocolate. 

A movement in a side alley caught her eye. “Henry!” she exclaimed in relief. 

“Shhhh!” Henry held a finger to her lips and beckoned her over. He gestured towards the other end of the alley, where someone was sitting cross-legged on the ground, completely still, holding out a piece of fish to an alley cat. He looked up, and Emma cried out in surprise, “You!”

The cat shot off around a corner and Hook swore in exasperation, “Damn it, Swan, I’ve been working on that animal for days. Now I’ll have to start over!”

“What, your legendary charm failing you?” she mocked, shocked at seeing her son hanging out with the pirate. 

He glared at her “She has to _want_ to come with me.”  

“I thought you pirates just took what you wanted.”

Hook rolled his eyes at her. “Oh, the pirate thing, again. We’re much misunderstood you know, or I am, anyway.”

Emma wasn’t buying it. 

“I have a little rat problem, on my ship,” he explained. “I need a cat. And if I trap her, she’ll just want to run away from me.”

“Can’t think why.” Emma muttered.

Hook glared at her but his voice turned to molasses “Whereas, if I can tempt her to follow me back to my ship, then there’s a chance she might stay.” 

“How far have you got for all your effort?” she asked.

“Not far” he conceded, looking at Emma in a way that made her think he wasn’t talking about the cat.

“Well, she’s had a lucky escape then. Seems I’m not the only one immune to your charms. Smart cat.” And before he could respond, continued “So, maybe now you’d like to explain to me what you’re doing hanging out with my son? Or were you planning to use Henry to try and worm your way into my good books?”

Hook fought back a smile. “As a matter of fact…” he was about to acknowledge, but before he could answer Henry turned to his mother. 

“I thought you said he wasn’t going to hurt us? That he’s only interested in hurting Mr Gold?” 

Emma noticed that her son still hadn’t quite gotten used to calling him Grandpa. In fact, come to think of it, Henry had gone from being quite warm towards Mr Gold initially to somewhat wary. Not that she could blame him for that. More than once she’d found herself wondering if things might have been easier all round if Hook had actually finished him off and … but no. That was wrong, and besides, he was the only one with an inkling of how to defeat Cora.

Emma crouched down and looked her son in the eye. “He’s not going to hurt you,” she said slowly, “Because if he does, Granny is going to lace his food with rat poison. Which, incidentally,” she turned to Hook, “might work in lieu of a cat.”

“It would,” he said cryptically, “If I wanted a _dead_ rat. Besides, I like cats. I thought I told you that already.” 

Emma ignored him and stood up. “Come on, I’m taking you home, Henry. And _you_ ,” she turned back to Hook with a look that gave him chills, but probably not in the way she intended, “stay away from my son.”


	5. Like A Rash

Saving the town from Captain Hook, and Captain Hook from himself, was proving to be a rather tiresome task. Hook was bored. Storybrooke was a very dull place to get stuck, so he kept finding ways to amuse himself, which generally didn’t amuse anyone else involved.

Emma hung up the phone. Unbelievable. Hook had managed to get himself in trouble again. This time for stealing laundry off a line out at the Johnson farm. And probably a chicken, although that could have been a fox. Laundry? Seriously?

Hook woke to find himself cuffed to his bunk and Emma sitting on a chair glaring at him. “Again?!” he asked. “Emma, this is getting old, love!”

“Well, stop doing things that lead to me having to arrest you.” she suggested, flatly.

“How else am I going to get to see you?” he asked sweetly.

She ignored him.

“So, I suppose you know why I’m here?”

“I’m guessing it’s not because you’ve always wanted to chain me to a bed?” he asked hopefully.

“Dream on, buddy. Does farm, laundry, chicken, ring any bells?”

“The chicken was delicious,” he said with relish, not even trying to deny it. “Bit of spice, roasted on the coals. There’s some left over, if you want some?”

“You’re suggesting I eat the evidence?! Why did you steal it?”

“I was hungry and Granny’s was closed.” He said seriously “What was I supposed to do? I only took the clothes because I was curious. They can have them back. Not my style.” He gestured to a heap of clothes on another chair, wrinkling his nose at them distastefully.

She tried to imagine him in jeans and a t-shirt but couldn’t.

“Get dressed.” She ordered, “I have to take you down to the station.”

“For a chicken?!” Also, “how?” he pulled at the cuffs.

“Fine” she said. “I’m going to uncuff you and wait for you on deck. You have two minutes. And bring the stolen clothes with you.” She pulled her gun out and cocked the trigger while unlocking the cuffs.

“For a chicken?” he asked again, incredulously.

“For trespassing, stolen goods, and trying to bribe a law enforcement officer. Two minutes” she said. “And I’m holding on to this as insurance” she said, pocketing his hook.

“Emma, do you know how difficult it is to get dressed one-handed?”

“Not my problem.”

He cursed as she left his cabin, lingering in the companionway on her way up, unable to ignore the lovely smell wafting from the direction of the galley. Hook could cook?

\-----

A week later, and Emma was marching Hook back into the Sheriff’s office yet again. Inside, she rounded on him furiously “This has to stop!” she said firmly. “You can’t go around taking out your boredom and frustration on everyone and picking fights all the time!” The whole town was on edge with him roaming around like a caged animal, causing trouble, and they all expected her to do something about it.

“Why not?” asked Hook, rubbing his bruised jaw. “Have I done anything illegal?”

“You know you haven’t, or I’d have you locked up in there.” He looked into the cell thinking it might not be so bad. At least there was a bed in there which is more than could be said of most of the tight spots he’d found himself in.

“Besides, in case you hadn’t noticed, I’m the one that seems to keep getting injured.”

“As a matter of fact, I had. Why is that? What’s with this death wish of yours? Or do you just need to feel pain to remind yourself you’re human?”

He pondered that. There might be some truth in it.

“So what am I supposed to do?” he asked. He had here there. She didn’t have a clue.

“I don’t know. Go out and get a job! Do something useful with your time.”

He threw his head back and roared with laughed. “I’m a pirate, lass!”

“Well, go find people to rape and pillage, then. Or whatever the hell it is that pirates do! Just not here.” she added, in case there was any misunderstanding.

“You’re confusing pirates with conquering armies, love,” he said. “And as a point of fact, I’ve never raped a woman in my life. Although the thought may have crossed my mind, once or twice.” he leered, moving to stand uncomfortably close to her.

Unfazed, Emma retorted, “Well, go find another land to go and plunder something in then.”

“You know I can’t.” he said.

“Then… help us find Cora!” she challenged.

“I made a deal with Cora. I stay out of her business, she stays out of my mine.” he frowned.

“Well then, let’s make a deal to do the same. You stay out of my way, and I stay out of yours. You don’t cause any more trouble around town and I don’t lock you up.”

“I have a better idea.” He took another step towards her, and his face was now inches from hers. “You want me to behave myself in Storybrooke? Do what Granny suggested and save me from myself. Spend a night with me.”

“What? No way!”

“One night, Emma, no obligation to do anything you don’t want. One night, dusk to dawn, and I leave everyone alone for a week.” 

“You’re crazy!” she tried to get away from him, but he had her backed up against the desk.

“Yes I am.” he acknowledged. “One night, and I stay out of trouble for a week.”


	6. Just (Another) One of Those Days

Hook hadn’t really expected Emma to agree to his deal, he just wanted to see her reaction, to see if she was even a little bit tempted. He hadn’t really expected the swift kick to his privates before she bolted out of the door and the intense discomfort that caused either. Apparently she wasn’t tempted. Either that, or she enjoyed inflicting pain as a precursor to lovemaking. It was hard to tell. She was a tough lass.

He was still groaning and cursing when a snarling Ruby came bounding through the door and grabbed him by the collar, dragging him out of the station and back to the harbour. Hook didn’t bother to protest. He just hoped fervently that Ruby wouldn’t rip him to shreds. Or his coat, for that matter. He had no idea where to acquire another one in this land and he was extremely fond of it.

You couldn’t blame a man for trying. He was bored, and the only thing that amused him was sparring with Emma. She’d fallen for Baelfire, so she clearly wasn’t immune to a charming thief. Thinking about the boy reminded him of the promise he’d made. He wondered what Emma’s feelings were for Bae now. _I may have been in love, once._ Was she still? There was obviously still anger there. Of all the people Emma could have got involved with, in all the lands, why did she have to choose Milah's and Rumplestiltskin’s son?

And there was a child between them! What kind of man betrayed his lover and son? Hook didn’t know what had passed between them, but he wondered uneasily if he might unwittingly have had a hand in it. He shook the thought off. No, Bae had been betrayed by both his parents, Hook’s role had been incidental, he hadn’t encouraged Milah to leave her son behind, that had been her decision, and hers alone. If Bae had subsequently abandoned Emma, that too had been his choice. But abandonment by a parent didn’t sit well with him. All that time in Neverland with The Lost Boys, and Killian Jones would always be one of them, even if Hook wasn’t. It was the one fight that he and Milah had kept having over and over, the one wedge between them.

Climbing back on board his ship, Hook cursed getting stuck in Storybrooke, and all the fates that kept tying him to the bloody crocodile, over and over again.

 

\-----

Emma seethed as Granny handed her a hot chocolate. She couldn’t believe his nerve. “What the hell is wrong with that man?” she demanded. “Why won’t he leave me alone?”

Granny smiled. “It’s not in his nature, Emma. He’ll never back down from a challenge.”

She hesitated, “Did you ever meet a kid at school who was always getting into trouble? I don’t mean the bullies, I mean the type of kid who’s really smart but really bored with the inflexibility of school. The type who seems to act up just for the sheer hell of getting a reaction out of people?”

Emma nodded. She could remember a few. In fact, she might even have been one of them for a while.

“Well, Killian is that kid. He wants a reaction. He wants the attention. He wants someone to notice how bored he is and offer him an adventure. Half of what he says and does is about the challenge, the excitement of it, just to see if he can get away with it.”

“But why me?” Emma groaned.

“Because he recognises himself in you. The better part of him, anyway. The part of him that Gold ripped away. You challenge him, and he likes it.”

Emma looked curiously, “How do you know him so well?”

Granny smiled, “Why don’t you ask him that?”

“Because I don’t want to spend any more time with him than absolutely necessary!”

“Well, the more you avoid him, the more determined he’s going to be to pursue you. Maybe you should try something different?”

“Like what?!”

“Taking him up on his offer?”

“Are you out of your mind?!”

“Well, I don’t mean sleep with him, not that I wouldn’t have been tempted back in the day!” Granny grinned wolfishly, “I mean, spend some time with him. Let him tell you some stories. Go for a drink, get him to take you sailing or fishing or something.”

“You can’t be serious? You're suggesting we go on a date?!”

“For heaven’s sake, Granny!” reprimanded Ruby, returning to the diner. “Stop encouraging this! He slept with my mother, _and_ Henry’s grandmother for heaven’s sake! He’s a pain in the ass!”

“Says the girl who tries to sleep with half the men in town every time she's in heat!” Granny laughed, ignoring the absolutely furious look Ruby gave her. “Fine. But do either of you have a better plan for how to keep him out of trouble?”

  
\-----

It was just one of those days. Emma had barely got back to the office when the phone rang. It was Snow. Neal had shown up at the apartment, wanting to see Henry and Emma. Neal was back in town? Why wasn’t he looking after his father? “Don’t let Henry out of your sight.” she told her mother. “Tell Neal to meet me at my place. I’ll be right over.” She slammed the phone down, locked the office and headed out in a temper.

“What are you doing here?” she demanded.

“I wanted to see you. I never got the chance to talk to you in all the confusion with my father and Hook, then Cora and Regina. I wanted to explain things.”

Hook, again. Emma frowned. “How do you know him?”

“Who?” Neal looked confused.

“Hook.”

“Why don’t you ask him that?” Neal retorted, unable to keep the edge out of his voice.

“Neal!”

She was getting sick of nobody giving her a straight answer.

“He’s the man who ran off with my mother.”

“Cut the bullshit, Neal. You know him. How?”

“What’s it to you?” Neal looked at her suspiciously.

“Because I want to know if he’s going to hurt Henry because he’s Gold’s grandson!”

 _Right answer_ , thought Neal, even though it was a question. “No, I don’t believe so.”

“How can you be sure? He’s loyal to no-one but himself!”

Neal hesitated. He was sure, but he didn’t want to tell Emma why. “Because he loved my mother,” he said slowly, “And her blood runs in Henry’s veins. I don’t think he’ll hurt him.”

“Her blood runs in _your_ veins too. He didn’t hurt you?”

“You mean, other than taking my mother away from me?” he asked with a hint of anger in his voice. “No.”

“So, why won’t you talk about it? Tell me how you know him.”

“Goddamn it, Emma, I don’t come here to talk about Hook!” he hissed, in exasperation.

Emma was silent for a moment. “Fine. Is this safe?” she asked eventually.

“What?”

“You being here?”

Neal’s face brightened. “You’re worried about me?” he teased.

“No. I mean is it safe for Henry and me, you being here?”

“Oh,” his face fell. “I wasn’t followed, if that’s what you mean.”

“How do you know?”

“Emma… I just know. I’ve been running away for three hundred years. I know when I’m being followed, okay? Please, can’t we just talk?”

“I don’t want to talk to you. There’s nothing left to say.”

“That’s not true and you know it. I can never apologise enough for what happened. I was trying to do the right thing.”

Emma stared at him incredulously. Did he really think he could just apologise and make everything alright again?

“Never mind sending me to jail for your crime – I wasn’t the first impressionable young woman to do time for a man, and I’m sure I won’t be the last,” she said slowly, “But you _knew_ about the curse. You knew about magic. And I didn’t. You could have helped me, but you didn’t. You ran away from your father, from magic, and then you ran away all over again and left me to deal with it on my own. Even though you knew what I was up against! I had to learn about all of this by myself, Neal. You _let_ that happen. So, no, there’s nothing left to say. Nothing you say is going to make that okay!”

Emma wasn’t yelling, she wasn’t crying, and that made it worse.

The accusation hung in the air between them.

He’d condemned her to this fate, knowingly. Neal rubbed his face with his hands. If she knew the whole truth about why he’d left her… but he and August had sworn not to speak of it. Emma didn’t need to know, she had enough to deal with already.

Staying with his father, keeping him safe from Cora, keeping everyone safe from him, that would be his penance now. It was the least he could do to try and make things right with Emma. And Hook would keep his end of the bargain, because it was the least he could do to make up for taking a mother away from her son.

He thought about Tamara. How had he let himself get involved with her, allowed himself to believe he could escape his past? Would she understand why he had to be away for so long? Would she be satisfied with knowing it had something to do with his estranged father and be okay with that? Somehow he suspected she wouldn’t, and he couldn’t blame her. At the end of the day, Neal Cassady was Rumplestiltskin’s son and every bit as capable of fucking up his relationships as his father was. Even if it wasn't his intent.

They stood there in silence, until eventually Neal asked quietly if he could see Henry. Emma seriously thought about refusing, but decided it wasn’t fair on Henry, so agreed on the condition that Snow and David stayed with them. She called her mother and told her that Neal was on his way over.

After the day she’d had, she needed some time alone.

And hot chocolate laced with a brandy, or two.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if you were expecting something more spicy! I warned you I changed my mind about the direction this was going, didn't I?! Fear not, I haven't given up on Captain Swan yet, there are still some stormy seas / scenes to come. It's just that Neal keeps getting in the way. I want to get to the Neverland part of the story before the show does, so I guess I'm going to have to try and write faster (if only life wouldn't keep getting in the way)!


	7. Trying Something Different

The next few days passed without note. Emma’s fears that Neal’s reappearance might have been followed by the reappearance of Cora proved to be unfounded. He slipped quietly away after seeing Henry, leaving an angry and unsettled Emma.

Hook kept out of her way for a while, and that in itself would have been unsettling, if Emma hadn’t been preoccupied with her parents, who were fighting again about whether or not to stay in Storybrooke or return to the enchanted forest, and wondering what to do if and when Gold and Neal came back (and even more frighteningly what it would mean if they didn’t). And why hadn’t that Greg fellow left town yet? Why would anyone stay in Storybrooke without knowing anyone here?

Hook kept an eye on her from a distance. He couldn’t help but notice she’d had been drinking a lot lately, and after a few more days passed, decided to approach her as she left The Rabbit Hole one night.

“What do you want?” she asked tiredly. “Have you taken to stalking me now?”

“Just wanted to see how you’re doing” he shrugged.

“Fine, I’m doing fine.”

“Doesn’t look like it,” he said, wrinkling his nose.

“I’m not in the mood for a lecture. Especially not from a man who solves problems with his fists. Or hook!”

Hook made a sound of acknowledgement. “Sorry about that, I can’t help myself sometimes.”

Emma snorted “You’re not sorry at all!”

“You’re right.” he said evenly, “I’m not. The man deserved it. I take it Smee isn't going to press charges?”

“Am I trying to drag you down to the station again?”

“Sadly, no.”

She rolled her eyes at him. “Well, there’s your answer. What was with all those scratches, anyway? Did you drag him through a blackberry bush?”

“Ah, yes, those... that would be Julie’s work.”

“Julie?” Emma looked confused.

“That’s what I decided to call the cat. It’s a long story. Not what you’re thinking. Maybe I’ll tell you sometime.” he said airily. “But, I didn’t come here to talk about Smee or Julie. Let’s talk about something I _am_ interested in: you. What’s up, lass? Why have you been drinking alone? Anytime you fancy some company, you only have to ask…”

“I don’t _want_ company, Hook, especially yours. That's the point. Can’t a girl have a bit of time alone?”

“I completely approve of you looking out for yourself Emma. It’s good to put yourself first once in a while…”

“Well, you’d know all about that, wouldn’t you?” she accused.

“Yes.” he acknowledged, evenly. “If I don’t look out for myself, who will? If there’s something I want, I fight for it. What’s wrong with that?”

“That makes you happy, does it?” she challenged. “Being selfish? Getting your vengeance on Gold? Destroying his love because he took yours? Hurting anyone that gets in the way? That’s working for you is it? Making you happy?”

The question cut through the air like a knife, followed by a stunned silence.

She had no idea where that came from.

“No,” he said finally, acknowledging the uncomfortable truth of this. “No, it isn’t. And you’re not going to find happiness sitting alone in a bar either!”

“What the hell do _you_ know about happiness anyway? I love my son, learning to be a good mother, protecting my family, that makes me happy! What do you know about love about family? A man who stole a mother from her husband and son?!”

“That’s not how it was!” Hook roared, furiously. “She came to me! I never asked her to choose. I never even expected to fall in love with her, but I did, and we _were_ happy!” His voice shook with emotion. “But Bae was always there, like a cloud on the horizon. Not a day went by that her decision to leave him didn’t hurt us both! You think I don’t know what it’s like to lose your mother? Do you know how many times I tried to take her back to see him? She said she couldn’t take him away from Rumple, but that wasn’t it, she just couldn’t face him. She was so brave, in so many ways, but she never had the courage to face up to her son!”

Emma’s head was spinning, “You tried to take her back to see Neal ... Baelfire?”

“Of course I did! What do you think we were doing there when Rumplestiltskin caught up with us? I pushed her into going to say goodbye to Bae before we left for Neverland, or ask him to come with us, because we didn’t plan to come back. We didn’t know that Rumple had become The Dark One, or that Bae had run away. We didn’t know that she could have been reunited with him in Neverland… if only _the crocodile_ ” he hissed the word, “hadn’t got to us first.”

He turned away and she could see the tension in him as he struggled to control himself, his emotions. She didn’t know what to say, this was a lot to take in. Was it just another ploy to try and win her over? She didn’t think so, but her ability to detect truth from lies had been failing her lately, and it didn’t help that she’d been drinking.

“Why did Gold kill her?” she asked.

“Because she was trying to protect _me_. He tried to rip my heart out and she stopped him, bargained for my life, and hers, with the bean Smee tried to steal from us. The bean that was supposed to get us back to Neverland. He agreed, but then when she told him she’d never loved him he ripped her heart out and crushed it in front of me.” he paused, shaking, “There was nothing I could do to stop him. She died in my arms. My love, my future, my happiness. Gone in an instant.”

Emma looked at him, horror welling up in ht epit of her stomach, remembering how Graham had died in her arms, two truths finally beginning to dawn on her, “Rumple killed Neal’s mother…”

Hook turned to face her, a mess of emotions, “Yes.”

“Does he know?” she asked urgently “Did you tell him?”

Hook didn’t want to answer that, but Emma took hold of his arms and shook him, “Hook?!”

“He knows.”

They were both silent for a while. Hook lost in memories, Emma so full of questions she didn’t know where to start.

“What did you talk about before he left?”

He sighed. Of course she had to ask the one question he couldn’t answer. “I can’t tell you that, love.”

“Why?”

“Because he made me promise I wouldn’t. Sorry, Emma, but I gave my word.”

Of course. She should have known. _Always a gentleman_ … when it suited him. _Bloody pirate_ , she cursed silently.

“Then, can you at least give me your word that you won’t hurt Henry.”

Hook looked at her with a mix of awe and anger, impressed at her determination to protect her son, but resentful of the implication that he wouldn’t honour his word to Granny.

“I’ve already promised that. But if you need to hear it again: I swear to you that I won’t hurt Henry. What makes you think I would?”

“Because he’s Gold’s grandson.”

Ah. “And Milah’s” he said softly.

The relief on Emma's face was obvious. “I was hoping you’d say that. Thank you.”She started to walk away, but Granny’s advice to try something different with him, came back to her.

"Maybe you could take us sailing, sometime?” she paused, “If you’re not too busy terrorising the town?”

Hook cocked his head and raised an eyebrow. Maybe his hearing was going...

“I think Henry would really like to learn to sail.”

Ah, Henry. He didn't look like the outdoor type, but the lad had Milah’s blood in him, and Emma's. He was probably tougher than he looked. "And you?” he asked, quietly.

“And maybe I would too.” She held his gaze for just long enough for them both to understand it was an olive branch.

“Aye,” he said, with the ghost of a real smile “I could find time for that.”


	8. Sons and Daughters

_A few days earlier_

Regina was tired. They’d been searching for Rumplestiltskin for weeks but were no closer to finding him. Her mother insisted that forcing him to return to Storybrooke was their best hope of gaining control over him, and seemed to think that if they could capture Bae, then Rumplestiltskin, without magic to hide behind, would meekly give in to them. Then, when they all returned to Storybrooke they could use the dagger to control him and force him to kill the Charmings. 

But her mother didn’t understand this world, and Regina wasn’t convinced that the two of them could overpower Baelfire without magic, let alone deal with his father as well. Rumplestiltskin might not have magic in this world, but he still had cunning. And if Baelfire really was Henry’s father, which Regina had some doubts about (who knew how many boyfriends that slut Emma had had? Regina certainly hadn’t forgotten her trying to steal Graham away from her), then Henry would be unforgiving if any harm came to him. And how could it not? He would be bound to tell Henry the truth… 

Unless of course, he couldn’t remember it!

“A memory curse!” she exclaimed out loud. “We wipe Baelfire’s memory as soon we get back!”

Her mother smiled approvingly, “Very good, dear.” Her daughter was finally starting to think like The Evil Queen again.

Cora looked around the cheap motel room in disgust. If she ever found the person responsible for nylon sheets she’d rip their heart out. Even that good-for-nothing pirate had the finest cotton on his ship. Indeed, the finest of everything his ill-gotten gains were able to procure. And her daughter, of course, was satisfied with nothing less than silk in her own gracious home.

“Can’t we afford something better than this?” she grumbled for the umpteenth time, as she had at every previous place they’d stayed.

Regina sighed. “There isn’t anything better than this available.” She didn’t bother to explain that even on a Mayor’s salary, there was only so much she could stretch to. The car hire, gas, motel rooms and meals were rapidly cleaning her out. Of course, there was still the corporate credit card… but as soon as she started using that, the town would know what they were up to.

“Get some rest, mother, we have a long drive again tomorrow.” 

They’d been following the clues that Sidney Glass had been providing, tracking Neal Cassady’s credit card, from gas stations, motels, and restaurants, always a step behind. She longed to be able to use a tracking spell. She had no idea how people survived in this world without magic!

_Find Baelfire, force him to help them find Rumple, return to Storybrooke_. She chanted it silently in her head. It sounded so simple…

\----

Regina woke to find another message from Sidney on her phone. Baelfire’s credit card had been used at a gas station between Logan International Airport and Storybrooke…

“Mother!” she cried, tentatively shaking Cora gently, “Mother, wake up! We have to go.”

Cora woke up with something like a snarl. She hated being forced to rise before she was ready, as Regina remembered all too well from childhood. It hadn’t taken too many slaps before she learned not to wake her mother unless she wanted the day to get off to a very bad start. 

“What?” Cora snapped.

“Baelfire’s returning to Storybrooke! Come on, we have to go!”

Cora was awake instantly, a crooked smile on her lips. She rose quickly and headed to the shower - another thing she didn’t like about this world. She ached for the steaming rose-scented baths her servants used to prepare for her. Of course, she could have conjured them herself, but why waste her magic? Besides, the servants needed to earn their keep. This world was entirely too functional. By the time she emerged from the shower, Regina had procured plane tickets and directions to the nearest airport. Thank goodness she’d thought to conjure up a fake ID for her mother before they’d left Storybrooke.

\----

Neither Cora or Regina had ever been on a plane before, but at least Regina knew what to expect. Unfortunately Cora did not take kindly to being asked to remove her jacket and shoes and being patted down by a security guard. She managed to stay civil, despite a look of utter contempt, but Regina was sure that had her mother been able to use magic, the woman would not have survived the encounter. Once on the plane, however, Cora settled down. “This is really quite civilised!” she remarked as the stewardess brought her a glass of red wine. Regina smiled to herself. Flashing her mayoral identification had earned them an upgrade to business class. There were still some powers she could wield, despite not being able to use magic! She made a mental note to see if she could charm her way into future room upgrades. 

When they arrived at Logan International, Regina hired a car and they started driving back to Storybrooke. 

\----

Neal wasn’t at all happy after his encounter with Emma, she didn’t seem to understand that he was sincere in his reasons for leaving her. The problem was, that he wasn’t ready to tell her the truth of it, not knowing about Henry. The very thing he had been trying to avoid. He didn’t know how August had come by the information about the prophecy, about the boy who would lead Rumple to his son, and be his undoing. But he couldn’t take a chance that his father would follow through on his threat to kill the boy, _his_ son, Henry. Would it make a difference that Henry was his father’s grandson? It hadn’t made a difference with his mother, or with him. His father was willing to hurt anyone in order to hold onto his power or out of anger. He _had_ to keep him out of Henry’s way.

Seeing Hook again had brought back memories of his mother and made him furiously angry with his father. Oh, he understood the pirate’s desire for vengeance, alright - he’d been running from that same desire for hundreds of years. But face-to-face with his father, dying from Hook’s poison, he found, no matter how much he hated him, he wasn’t willing to watch him die. Not yet, maybe not ever. Certainly not until the time was right and he’d finally confronted his father about not fighting for his mother, just letting her go, then lying to him about her death, and the real cause of it. For being a coward. He may not want his father dead, but he wouldn’t mind seeing his father suffer. 

He thought back to his chat with Hook. He hated having to ask him anything in relation to Emma. He could sense the man’s interest in her, and it frightened him. Despite Hook's reputation as a womanizer, Neal knew better than anyone that the Captain's interest rarely went beyond scratching an itch, but when it did, nothing would stand in his way. He'd been willing to die to protect his mother from his father. But Neal didn’t have a choice. He needed an ally who understood the threat his father presented to Henry, and could be counted on to keep his word. Hook owed him. There was no doubt that the pirate had loved his mother and would protect her grandson. Neal would keep his father away from Henry, and Hook would keep Henry away from his grandfather. He hoped Emma would forgive him what felt like yet another betrayal.

Neal was lost in his thoughts as he drove away from Storybrooke, and didn’t notice the car that began to trail him a few miles out of town.


	9. Absent

It was Saturday morning and Emma had popped round to see her parents after breakfast to let them know her plans.

“Absolutely not!” roared David, when Emma announced that she and Henry were going sailing with Hook. “Are you mad? The man tried to kill Gold. He can’t stay out of trouble. There’s no way I’m letting you go sailing with him!”

“Keep your voice down!” hissed Emma and Mary Margaret together.

“Look,” said Emma, “I understand your concern, really, but it was my idea, not his, and Ruby’s coming with us. “

“It was _your_ idea?”

“Well, Granny’s actually.”

“Remind me to check if her food and beverage licences are up to date.” David said in a growl to Mary Margaret.

“Dad!”

“Emma, for heaven’s sake! He’s Gold’s enemy, what makes you think Henry is safe? What if he tries to kidnap him as ransom or something?”

“Because he also loved Henry’s grandmother and Neal swears that Hook wouldn’t hurt him.”

“Oh, _Neal_ says. Well, that’s alright then, because he’s been such a reliable presence in your life.” This time it was Mary Margaret objecting.

“Guys,” pleaded Emma. “We’re just going sailing, that’s all. I still have magic, remember? Hook doesn’t.”

“He’s dangerous enough without it.”

She couldn’t argue with that.

“Look, Henry really wants to do this. Ever since we came back from New York he’s been going on about _The Jolly Roger_. We’ve all been through enough lately, why can’t we have some fun for once?”

“Fun? With Hook? On his ship?!” David spluttered.

Mary Margaret said nothing, but narrowed her eyes at her daughter. She never did find out what happened between the pirate and her daughter up the beanstalk. She wondered, not for the first time, why Emma had left him behind.

“What happens if you leave Storybrooke’s waters?” she asked. “You won’t be able to use magic against him.”

“I don’t know, but I don’t think it’s going to come to that. If you’re so worried, why don’t you come with us?” asked Emma, hopefully. Frankly, she’d feel a lot happier about the whole thing if they agreed. Although she suspected Hook wouldn’t be quite so happy about it. 

“Why not?” asked Mary Margaret, looking at her husband.

“And listen to him coming on to you both all day? No thanks!” said David. “Why? Do you _want_ to go with him?” he turned on her suspiciously.

“No!” she cried, stunned that he even had to ask, “Why on earth would you think that?”

“I don’t pretend to understand what you want these days!” David replied.

Mary Margaret looked at him in horror. “Is everything going to come back to the question of whether we stay or we go back?” she asked.

With her parents on the verge of another full scale row, Emma quietly slipped out the door to go and join Henry and Ruby. Come to think of it, going sailing with them, even if it _was_ on Hook’s ship, was bound to be more fun than this.

 

\----

Hook was waiting for them on the docks, sitting on a pile of crates, looking rather pleased with himself. He’d shed his usual black leather coat in favour of a shirt and a red leather waistcoat. The smile slipped from his face a little as he saw Ruby, but he recovered quickly and welcomed them with a flourish.

Ruby shot him a warning look, but handed over a basket of food. “From Granny” she made clear.

“Your grandmother is a wonderful woman. Be sure to convey my deepest gratitude.” he said sincerely, ushering them all on board.

Emma pulled him aside, as Henry started to show Ruby excitedly around the deck, “Do you know where the town boundary is at sea?” she asked him.

“No clue. Why?”

“Because we’re exempt from the curse, but Ruby isn’t. We daren’t cross it with her on board.”

“Because forgetting she ate her boyfriend would be such a bad thing?” Hook asked, quietly enough for Ruby not to hear.

“No, but forgetting she’s a werewolf might be a bit of a problem for the rest of us. I’m not sure the town really needs a monthly curse to contend with on top of everything else!” Emma frowned, muttering “My own monthly curse is enough to bloody deal with.”

Oh hell, had she just said that _out loud_?!

“Fair point, lass.”

Hook was going to let her other remark slide, he really was, but the look of embarrassment on her face was like a red rag to a bull. “You’re fierce enough at any time of the month.” he teased “I can only imagine how terrible your temper must be when you’re menstruating!”

Emma flushed deeply; horrified by the direction the conversation had just taken.

Hook’s eyes twinkled with mischief. “Why the embarrassment, love? It’s perfectly natural. A little bit of blood never bothered me. I used to have to warn the crew though during Milah’s time, otherwise an innocent remark might have cost them their limbs.” He chuckled at the memory, but then fell silent, his face darkening.

“You have magic, don’t you?” he asked her quietly.

Emma nodded, still too embarrassed to speak.

“Then, you should be able to sense the barrier.”

“You think so?”

“It seems to work that way.” he shrugged.

“I thought you didn’t approve of magic?” she asked, curiously.

“I don’t approve of using _dark_ magic.” he clarified. “It’s hardly a fair fight.” They both thought back to him taking Aurora’s heart and she glared at him, challengingly. “It was only that once, and I regret it. It was the only way I could think of to get back in Cora’s good books and get myself here, after _you_ went back on our deal.” he reminded her. They eyed each other uncomfortably. _Unfortunate choice of words, Killian_ , he thought, cursing himself silently. He sighed. “Look, I never claimed to be a good person, Emma, but most of the time I fight fair.”

“Is using magic beans to travel between worlds to commit crimes, fair?” she asked.

He hesitated. Damn, she was good. “To the extent anyone without magic _could_ have got hold of beans or enchanted hats or some other way to access portals, yes.” He sighed, this was not the kind of start he’d wanted the day to get off to. “Emma, the point is: you have magic. If you allow yourself to feel it, you should be able to sense when we’re nearing the boundary and we can turn the ship around before we reach it.”  

“And what if I can’t?”

“Learn to trust yourself, love. You’re a lot more powerful than you realise.”

Emma stared at him. “How can you be so sure?”

Hook stared back in disbelief. Did she really not realise, even now? “Emma, you broke the curse on Henry _and_ this town, and Cora couldn’t take your heart. Your magic is powerful enough to counter both Regina and Cora. That kind of strength, that kind of magic, that only comes from love, you can't learn it, and it’s more powerful than all the dark magic anyone can conjure.”

Hook didn’t know how he knew this, but as soon as he said it, he knew it was true. And it left him with the uncomfortable reminder that his love for Milah, and hers for him, had not been strong enough to save her. Abruptly, he turned away from Emma and strode off across the deck.

“Let the sailing lesson begin!” he cried, grinning a little too brightly at Henry, and more nervously at Ruby, as he began to sweep proudly around the deck, teaching them the names for the different parts of the ship. “Mast, boom, gunwale, bow, stern, fore, aft, amidships, left to port, right to starboard…”

“Can’t we just call them left and right?” Emma frowned.

“Absolutely not!” he looked horrified. “I thought you wanted to learn to sail?”

“We do!” cried Henry, staring warningly at his mother.

“Well then, dear Swan,” he grinned “Let me tell you how it works on _my_ ship…”

 

\----

To Emma’s relief, Hook was on his best behaviour the rest of the day. Then again, with Henry and Ruby on board, he didn’t have much chance for anything else. Emma spent most of the time comforting Ruby, who it turned out wasn’t cut out for life on the high seas, and spent the greater part of the day with her head over the side, trying not to be sick, despite the fact that there was barely more than a light breeze. And Henry buzzed around Hook like a wasp, peppering him with questions.

It was actually kinda fun watching her son pestering someone else, but if she was hoping to see Hook put out, she was disappointed. He turned out to be a more patient instructor than she would have given him credit for, and clearly enjoyed the challenge. Either that or he just enjoyed having a captive audience. She looked back at her son at the wheel with Hook, smiling as Henry asked the pirate yet another long-winded question. Hook scratched his stubble and pretended not to know the answer. But Henry wasn’t falling for it, and Hook gave in with a grin. Just like his Mom, that one, quick to spot a lie. He looked up, catching Emma’s eyes and smiled. She looked away quickly, but he could see a smile on her lips.

 

\----

They got back to the harbour about three, and David and Mary Margaret were waiting anxiously to meet them at the docks. Hook said nothing, but Emma saw his shoulders go back and his eyes narrow at what he clearly took as a personal insult.

As Henry helped a very wobbly and relieved Ruby off the ship, Emma turned back to thank Hook, only to find him much closer than she realised. _How_ did he do that? Maybe living on a ship with dozens of other people had left him with no concept of personal space? Or maybe he just liked to get a reaction? Either way, it was seriously unnerving how quickly and quietly the man could do that. She felt her breath catch in her throat.

It occurred to her that although her family could hear them, they wouldn’t be able to see them through the ship’s concealment.

“So,” he said quietly, his tone serious, but his eyes full of mischief, “did I pass?”

“It wasn’t a test!” Emma protested, trying to step back, away from him.

Hook raised an eyebrow, amused, “Now who’s lying, Emma? We both know it was! But I passed, right?”

Emma tried to shrug, nonchalantly.

Hook smirked, “Next time, love, don’t bring the wolf as a chaperone! They make terrible seafarers. And it will take days for me to coax Julie out of the hold.”

“What makes you think there’ll be a next time?” she challenged, trying and failing to keep a smile off her face.

“That.” said Hook, grinning back at her. “Admit it, you enjoyed yourself today.”

“It was good to see Henry having fun, he deserved it.” Emma conceded.

Hook snorted, she really was a stubborn lass. “So did you.”

Emma made a little noise that might have been a yes. She wasn’t ready to give him the satisfaction of saying it, so she settled for a genuine “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome, milady.” Hook took a step back and bowed slightly.

As Emma turned to disembark, he called out to her “Same time tomorrow?”

“Can we, Mom?” cried Henry excitedly.

Emma rolled her eyes. “Okay.” Anything she could do to win back her son’s favour after his disappointment in her after admitting she’d lied to him, was worth it.

David huffed in displeasure.

Behind the shield, Hook grinned to himself. The day hadn’t turned out so badly after all.

 

 

\---- 

_ Later that day _

“Where’s Bae? Is he still with you?” Gold’s voice crackled with emotion (or it could have been static) over the phone.

“No. He left a week ago. Isn’t he with you?” Emma frowned in concern.

“Would I be asking you if he was, dearie?” Gold snapped impatiently.

“Let me get this straight… you haven’t seen him for a week? Where are you?”

“I don’t think it’s safe for me to tell you that, now, is it? Regina might be tapping the phones.” he paused before adding pointedly, “Or perhaps one of her lackeys down at the local paper...”

Emma could have sworn she heard a slight intake a breath on the line. She would have to pay Sidney Glass a visit on Monday.

“Let’s keep this brief, shall we?” Gold continued. “Where are Cora and Regina?”

“I don’t know. Not here. They left to look for you, and as far as I know that’s what they’re still doing.”

“They haven’t been back? They couldn’t have followed Baelfire?”

“He didn’t think so. Nobody’s seen them since you left.”

“Good.” Gold didn’t sound too convinced, but he was short on time, “Where’s Hook?”

“Still in Storybrooke. Unless you’re somewhere nearby raising chickens, or your cat’s recently gone missing, you’ve got nothing to worry about.”

“ _What?_ Oh, never mind, I don’t give a hoot about what that thieving, low-life, murderous scum is up to. Just keep him away from me. If you see or hear from Bae, I need you to tell him I’m moved on to the next place. He knows where.”

“Gold…” Emma tried to protest, desperate for more information, but it was too late, he’d already hung up. “Damn.”

“What is it?” asked Mary Margaret, concerned.

“Neal. Gold says he never showed up. Nobody’s seen him since he left Storybrooke.”

David looked up from the game he was playing with Henry. “What?”

“Dad’s gone missing?” Henry echoed.

Emma strode over to her son, and hugged him tightly. “I’m sure it’s nothing. Maybe his car broke down, or he wanted to visit Tamara.” She glanced up at her parents, and a grim look passed between them.

“Henry, why don’t you go wash up before dinner? It’s almost ready.” Mary Margaret suggested.

“What about Dad?” he asked, reluctant to leave the room

“We’ll call Tamara after dinner.” Emma promised.

As soon as Henry disappeared to the bathroom, his mother turned to her parents. “Something’s wrong. Neal wouldn’t have disappeared without reason. Not now.”

“Are you sure about that?” Mary Margaret asked “It seems to me he’s rather good at doing that.”

“Mom, not now.” Emma hissed. Where _was_ he? She was sure he wouldn’t disappear now without telling his father.

“Hook?” suggested David, hopefully.

“Seriously?” Emma scowled. “Let it go, Dad.” Was she really defending Hook, again?

“Regina.” said Mary Margaret, firmly. “We can’t trust her, we never could, and she’ll stop at nothing, especially with Cora encouraging her. There is nothing that woman wouldn’t do to get what she wants.”

Emma looked pale, and she sat down heavily. “Neal doesn’t have magic. He doesn’t stand a chance against them.” Suddenly, she felt sick. She was still angry with Neal, but she didn’t wish this on him. Where _was_ he?

“I’ll go down to the station and make some calls.” said David, grabbing his jacket and heading to the door. “Keep my dinner warm for me?”

Mary Margaret nodded. “Be careful.” she called out after him. She turned back to her daughter and put an arm around her. “I’m sure things will be fine,” she said, noting Emma’s distress, “We’ll call Tamara after dinner.”

 

 

\----

But they didn’t call Tamara. They never got the chance. Because just as they were finishing their chocolate pudding, there was a knock at the door, and there was Granny, with none other than Tamara herself.

“Where’s Neal?” Emma and Tamara asked at the same time.

“He’s not with you?”

“No.”

The two women looked at each other in confusion. Emma’s expression full of concern, Tamara’s full of anger. “Then, where _is_ he?” she demanded.

“We don’t know. We hoped he was with you.”

“I’ll bet you did.” mumbled Tamara, darkly, unconvinced.

“Hey, young lady,” said Granny “remember where you are!”

“Funny you should bring that up! Where the hell am I, exactly? Because this place sure ain’t on any maps!”

Granny and Mary Margaret exchanged worried glances.

“Then, how did you get here?” Henry asked curiously.

“You’d better sit down.” Emma suggested.

 

  
\----

Sometime later, after Granny had taken Tamara back to the guest house, the Charmings sat down and digested the events of the last few hours.

“She’s lying.” said Henry, bluntly.

“I know, kid” said Emma, tiredly. Tamara’s protests about not believing in Storybrooke and fairy tale characters did not ring true. Emma knew what disbelief looked like, and that wasn’t it. “She knows more than she’s letting on. The question is, how much?” _How much trouble was Neal really in?_

“And what do we do about it?” asked Mary Margaret slowly. “Did you find anything out?” she asked David, who’d returned half way through their conversation with Tamara.

“No. Nothing. Vanished without trace.”

Emma frowned. “I’m going to see Sidney Glass in the morning.”

“Sidney? What’s he got to do with this?” asked Mary Margaret.

“I don’t know. But Gold thinks he might be tapping our phone line and feeding information to Regina.”

Mary Margaret digested this. “I think somebody should check on Belle, too. If Cora and Regina have captured Neal, they’d think nothing of using Belle to get to Rumple as well, even if she can’t remember him, they know how he feels about her.”

“Good idea.” agreed Emma.

“I’ll call Dr Whale and ask him to increase her security.”

“No you won’t!” cried David, glaring at her “ _I'll_ do it."

Mary Margaret stared at him, incredulously “We were cursed!” she hissed.

“Yes, so you’ve said. I’m still going to be the one that calls him.”

Before her parents could start another argument, Emma decided it was time to take Henry home.

 

 

\----

When Granny returned to finish closing up the diner, she found Hook waiting for her outside in the shadows.

“Nice day?” she grinned.

He smiled, gruffly. “Thanks for the lunch.” he said, “Delicious as always”. His voice was sincere, but his eyes were dark and anxious.

Granny looked at him curiously, “What’s wrong?”

“That woman. The one you just took to the guest house. Who is she?”

“The dark one?”

Hook flinched at her choice of words. “Aye.”

“Tamara. She’s Neal’s fiancée.”

“ _What?!_ ” Hook gripped her arm tightly. “Are you sure?”

Granny nodded. “Why, do you know her?”

“Aye. But not from here! Whoever Bae thinks she is, he’s wrong. This is very bad. I need to warn him, I need to warn Emma.”

He turned and started to run down the street.

At the window of the guest house above, Tamara pulled the curtains, a smirk on her face. Luckily for the man sprinting down the street below, she didn’t see him. She was far more interested in the man in her room: Greg.


	10. Here There Be Dragons...

Emma had barely closed the front door, and pulled her boots off, when someone started hammering on it, furiously. She groaned. A day that had once contained a glimmer of sunshine had turned into yet another nightmare. “Go get ready for bed, Henry, while I get ried of whoever's at the door,” she called after her son “I’ll be up in a minute.”

“Emma! Open up!” yelled Hook, hammering on the door again.

She opened the door in surprise, and he burst into the apartment, not waiting for an invitation to come in.

“What is it?” she asked “What the hell is so important that it can’t wait until tomorrow?”

“Emma,” he said urgently, catching at her sleeve, “listen to me. That woman, Tamara, she isn’t whoever she says he is.”

“What do you mean? You _know_ her?”

“Aye, I’ve met her, in another world. She was just a child then, but she’s the spitting image of her mother and grandmother. She’s dangerous. You have to stay away from her, and you need to warn Bae.”

“Neal? Why would she hurt Neal? They're getting married…” Emma felt her stomach twist into knots. The look on her face didn’t notice escape Hook’s notice. He took it as confirmation she still had feelings for Bae. “Does she have magic?” Emma whispered.

“Maybe not here, but her mother and grandmother did. She comes from a long line of sorceresses. Her grandmother was one of the most powerful witches I’ve ever had the misfortune to encounter. She made Regina look like an amateur. Have you heard of the Sirens?”

“Beautiful women who lured sailors to their deaths?” _Surely they were just myths?_

“The very same. Well, her grandmother was responsible for the Sirens, among other sins. I lost many of my men to those temptresses.”

Emma didn’t know whether to believe him or not, but her gut told her Hook wasn’t lying, and she knew Tamara was.

“You’d better sit down,” she gestured to the couch. “I’ll fix us a drink and then you can tell me everything you know.”

But Hook couldn’t sit; he started pacing up and down. “Emma, you don’t understand, love. This is serious…”

Emma cut him off by slamming two glasses down on the table.

“I get it!” she nearly yelled. “But give me a break! Neal is missing, Regina is tapping our phone lines, Tamara suddenly shows up in town, and now you burst into my apartment telling me that something is wrong. _I know something is wrong!_ What next, mermaids and flying monkeys?!”

“Well, as a matter of fact…”

“ _Shut up!_ ” hissed Emma. Hook sank to the couch, deciding it would be best to let her calm down a bit before continuing.

Henry appeared at the top of the stairs, a toothbrush in hand, looking between his mother and Captain Hook. “Mom?” he asked worriedly.

“Henry,” Emma tried to smile at him, “It’s okay, we’re just going to have a talk, that’s all. Go take a shower and I’ll be up in a bit.”

“No,” said Hook, “Henry should probably hear this too.” Emma glared at him, about to contradict, but Henry was already half way down the stairs.

She sighed, defeated. “Fine. Hot chocolate, kid?” Henry nodded enthusiastically.

An awkward silence descended as Emma fixed the drinks - a hot chocolate for Henry and whiskies for herself and Hook. She curled up in the armchair, facing Hook, adopting, he noted, the same position as her son. “Okay,” she said “spill.”

Hook looked confused. Did she mean his drink?

“She means talk.” explained Henry.

“Ah.” Hook frowned, wondering why someone would say spill when they meant talk.

“It was a long time ago.” he started, “In the early days with Milah. We were travelling in a far off land. The ship was becalmed for several days, and the crew were restless. We could see the islands off in the distance, dark cloud-topped smudges on the far horizon, but we couldn’t reach them. Everyone was on edge, anxious, arguing. And that’s when they came. One after another, the Sirens appeared, tempting the men with their beauty, their songs, bewitching the crew, calling them away.” His eyes grew wistful. “Once a man was enchanted, a dark spot would appear on his palm, and then it was only a matter of time before she claimed him, and he’d leap willingly over the side.” Unconsciously, Hook rubbed his palm with his fingers.

Emma caught his eye, frowning, and he looked away.

“I lost a third of my crew in a matter of days. I argued with Milah. She thought we should try and row to shore, but I disagreed. Every time the Sirens started singing, I felt curiously unmoved to do anything. Only after they left would I get angry at the loss of men. Milah wasn’t amused. Where we saw beautiful young women, she saw monsters.”

“What was she like, my grandmother?” Henry interrupted, curiously.

Hook looked at him, startled. Of course the boy would want to know about his grandmother. It just made Hook a little uncomfortable given his attraction to his mother. _At least they’re not blood-related_ , he thought, thankfully. He took a long swig of his whisky.

“That’s a story for another time.” he said gently.

“What’s all this got to do with Tamara?” Emma asked, impatiently.

He glared at her, but continued, “The winds returned eventually and we made it to our destination. But those of us remaining were deeply unsettled. Milah and I wanted answers, so we started to ask around. Everyone knew of the Sirens, but nobody knew how to stop them. They’d claimed hundreds of lives. It was rumoured they were maidens who’d been cursed by a powerful sorceress, Hera, because they’d caught the eye of the King she’d arranged for her daughter to marry.”

“Sounds a bit familiar,” muttered Emma, thinking of Cora and Regina.

Hook grunted. “Anyway, we found an excuse to call upon Hera, now presiding over the palace, her daughter married to the philandering King, pretending that we needed a curse to get rid of an enemy. We knew Hera had a reputation for dark magic and for a vicious, vengeful nature, but we had no idea how powerful she was. Like Rumplestiltskin, she made deals with everyone, keeping everyone in her debt. When we realised how much we had underestimated her, Milah wanted to leave port immediately, but I refused. Hera and her daughter were beautiful women, but it wasn’t their looks that entranced me. Every time they spoke to me, I was captivated by them all over again. Hera’s grand-daughter, she was a quiet one, but always listening, always watching, those eyes following us everywhere, taking everything in, reporting back to her mother and grandmother. Every day, I returned to the palace, forgetting why we were there but drawn back like a magnet. Everyday Milah followed me, afraid to let me go alone, and unable to get me to leave the island. Every night, the Sirens returned to the ship and claimed a few more of my men.” Hook paused, finishing off his whisky.

“Eventually, Milah convinced the crew to turn against me, for my own good, and they dragged me back to the ship, cursing and protesting all the way. She didn’t speak to me for days. She even locked me in our cabin until we were well out of sight of the islands. Hera was furious that we’d escaped and conjured a terrible storm to try and drown us all. But my ship is a marvel,” he said proudly, “and she held together.” He contemplated the bottom of his whisky glass, before continuing, in a low voice, “Unfortunately, I was not so lucky. I was swept overboard and nearly drowned. I didn’t see Milah or _The Jolly Roger_ for many months…”

Emma and Henry waited for him to continue, but Hook fell silent.

“What happened?” asked Henry, “How come you didn’t drown? How did you find your way back to them?”

“I didn’t,” he said slowly, “not for a long time. Milah took charge of the ship, and they never stopped searching. I didn’t deserve it, but I _was_ rescued from the storm.”

“By who?”

“A mermaid.”

Emma’s eyebrows shot up. “Seriously?”

“I tried to tell you. But you never seem to believe anything I say.” he shrugged, lightly. His expression turned serious again. “Emma, Henry, I need you to believe me now. Tamara is Hera’s granddaughter, I’m sure of it. I recognised her as soon as I saw her. There were rumours that Hera angered a powerful witch, Maleficent, and she enacted a curse upon her family, banishing them to a Land Without Magic. I’m guessing that was _this_ land…”

“Maleficent?” Emma paled “But she’s dead! Gold tricked me into killing her, in her dragon form.”

Hook and Henry both looked at her in surprise.

“You killed someone?” her son whispered, horrified.

Emma nodded, miserably. “He told me it was the only way to save you. To retrieve the bottle of true love he’d hidden in a dragon’s egg. I didn’t know the dragon was Maleficent in the cursed form Regina had trapped here. David only told me the truth afterwards.” A long time afterwards, after she and Snow had returned from The Enchanted Forest.

“You killed her to save me? But you didn’t need the potion! Your love was enough to save me!” Henry cried, dismayed.

“I know that _now_ , kid” Emma said sadly, “But I didn’t know it _then_. I didn’t know that Gold wanted the potion to return magic to Storybrooke. I thought it was the only way to save you. And it was a dragon, and it was trying to kill me, and stop me from saving your life!” she pleaded desperately for Henry’s understanding, but as she reached for him, he leapt up and raced up the stairs, slamming his bedroom door behind him. “Henry!” she cried, standing up to follow him.

Hook jumped up and grabbed her arm. “Give him some time,” he cautioned, his voice more gentle than his grip. “Sit. We haven’t finished talking.” He pushed Emma back down into her seat, a little more firmly than he intended, and went to pour them both another whisky. Emma sipped it despondently.

“Let me get this straight… the crocodile tricked you into killing Maleficent?”

Emma nodded.

“And you’re sure you killed her?”

“I sliced the dragon’s head off with my father’s sword.”

Hook considered this for a moment. Was this enough to kill a witch within a dragon? He wasn't sure. “And this would be the same Maleficent who traded the sleeping curse Regina wanted to use on your mother for the dark curse Rumplestiltskin helped Regina to create to banish everyone here?  

Emma stared at him, confused “What do you mean?” she whispered.

“They were friends, and rivals. They traded secrets, and spells. Cora told me that when you father broke the sleeping curse Regina used on your mother, she asked Maleficent to trade again. Maleficent warned her against using the dark curse. Which suggests she’d already tried using it herself…”

“And then she used the sleeping curse against Aurora…”

Hook really didn’t want to go back _there_ again, “I think you’re missing the point.” he said “Tamara could have been sent to this land by that curse.”

“But she wouldn’t remember who she is! She wouldn’t remember her mother or grandmother. She wouldn’t have magic.”

“No.” Hook conceded.

And then Emma remembered Graham. “Unless someone jogged her memory…”

Hook raised an eyebrow.

“Graham, the man who was Sheriff before me, when he kissed me, he started to remember who he was.”

Emma had kissed someone in Storybrooke? He felt immediate emnity towards the man. “What happened to him?” he managed.

Emma was silent for a moment. “He died. He had a heart attack, right there in my arms, and died. Just as I was starting to trust him, to think we could have something together. Except…” she looked at Hook uncomfortably “it seemed Regina had been controlling him for a long time, and when she saw he was starting to remember, I think she crushed his heart.” There she had said it, and the moment she did, she knew it to be true.

Hook stiffened. So, Emma knew what it was like to lose someone she cared for at the hands of dark magic? Between this and Bae’s abandonment, it explained a lot. And the crocodile had tricked her. They stared at each other, both aware, more than ever, of the common threads that bound them together.

Hook was the first to break the silence. “Emma, you’re in terrible danger. Tamara being here _must_ be because she remembers magic, and magic to her family is about all about power, just as it is for Cora and Rumplestiltskin. If she suspects you have magic, she may try to take it. You must warn Bae. She might be using him to get to his father’s magic.”

“He wouldn’t listen to me, even if I knew how to get hold of him. And I don’t – he’s gone missing.” _Again_ , she stopped herself from adding.

“ _What?!_ ” he knew he’d missed some important detail earlier. “How long has he been missing?”

Emma shook her head “I don’t know. Nobody’s seen him since he left here. We thought he’d gone to see Tamara, but here she is, without him.”

“And Regina and Cora, where are they?” he asked urgently.

“We don’t know.”

“Emma, it isn’t safe here, you have to get away. As soon as possible.”

“Hook, don’t be so dramatic. I have powerful magic, you said so yourself. Surely I’m safer here, where I can use it?”

“But you don’t know how to use it!” he reminded her. That was true. She didn’t. “What if Tamara tries to steal it from you?”

She racked her brains to think of anyone that could help her. “Mother Superior!” she cried.

“The Blue Fairy?” Hook asked, wrinkling his brows in confusion. “What’s she got to do with it?”

“She has magic. Good magic. She can teach me.”

Hook scowled at her “Emma, you don’t understand. You and Henry need to get out of here right away. You don’t have time for magic lessons”

“I’ll go to see her in the morning.”

Hook stared at her in disbelief. Was she always this stubborn?

“First thing.” she promised.

“Swan…” he protested, but she cut him off with a raised hand.

“I’m exhausted, Hook, it can wait until morning.”

“Then I’m staying here tonight.”

“Absolutely not!”

“I’m not leaving, Swan.”

“Yes you are!”

“Make me!” he challenged, standing up and staring down at her.

She glared at him, and he could see by her expression that she was tempted to try, but he didn’t flinch and eventually she backed down.

“Fine,” she said, in exasperation, “You can sleep on the couch.”

“Fine.”

She went into her room and retrieved a blanket, tossing it to him. “I’ll be upstairs with Henry.”

He nodded. He hadn’t expected anything else. “Goodnight, Swan.”

She ascended the stairs without a second glance.

Sighing, he removed his coat, placing his sword within easy reach, and stretched himself out on the couch. He normally removed his hook at night, but not tonight. Tonight he’d risk catching himself in his sleep, not that he planned to get much, rather than risk being caught off guard by unwanted visitors. He wasn’t letting anyone get to Emma or her son tonight.

In Henry’s room, Emma stretched herself out on the bed fully clothed, next to her sleeping son, pulling the blanket over herself as she curled herself around Henry. “I’m so sorry, kid” she whispered to him “I never meant any of this to happen. I just wanted you to have a good life, a better life. Not this.”

She thought about the man on the couch downstairs, and wondered at what point in his life he realised there was no going back. That his life had gone in a direction he no longer had any control over. She suspected it was the moment he lost Milah. For Emma it had been the moment she’d followed her son back to Storybrooke and met Regina. For Regina, it was losing Daniel. For Gold and Neal it was the moment they’d lost each other. For her parents, it was realising they loved one another. Love: finding it, losing it, it was a powerful motivation. She curled more tightly around her son. Nothing was going to take him from her. _I won’t let any harm come to you_ , she promised silently. _Not now, not ever._

Not even if it meant letting a pirate, who wanted to kill his grandfather, sleep on the couch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hera is a character from Greek mythology, the jealous, vengeful wife of Zeus. I borrowed her name, and aspects of her character for this fiction, but there the connection ends. The character is a witch, not a goddess, and the Sirens of Greek mythology are supposedly the companions of Persephone, who are cursed / given wings by her mother Demeter (there are several versions of the tale), also a wife of Zeus, not cursed by Hera. However, in one myth, Hera challenges the Sirens to a singing contest with the Muses. UOAT often strays from the original stories, so please forgive me for doing the same and borrowing Hera's name.


	11. A (not so) Charming Breakfast

Hook woke to a terrible noise coming from somewhere nearby. He couldn’t see what or who it was coming from, but when he found it, it was unlikely to survive the force of his hook. However, finally locating the source of the noise to be something in Emma’s handbag, he thought better of it.

“Emma!” he yelled. “Emma, wake up! There’s something making the most infernal racket down here.”

A thud from upstairs alerted him to the fact that Emma had probably gotten up, or by the sound of it, more likely fallen out of bed, so he stopped yelling and merely glared and pointed in its general direction as she came tumbling down the stairs. Just as it stopped.

“What the hell’s the matter, Hook?” she frowned at him, rubbing her eyes and looking more than slightly dishevelled. “It’s just my phone.”

“Your what?”

“My phone. Surely you’ve heard of them?”

He’d seen them for sure, heard people talking into them, but he couldn’t make head nor tail of them. His best guess was that they seemed to be some kind of magic portal that only voices went through.

Emma checked her missed calls. David. She called him back.

“Hey” she said, sleepily. “What time is it?”

“7am. Emma, I think you should get down to the station. I’ve got Sidney Glass here.”

“7am? What the hell?”

“I wanted to catch him by surprise.”

“Who are you talking to?” asked Hook.

David drew in his breath, loudly. “Is that _Hook_? Where are you?”

Emma sighed. “At home. I was asleep when you called, and no, before you ask, _not_ with Hook!” _It’s my father_ she mouthed at him silently, pushing him away as he sidled up to her with a wicked smirk.

“Well, what the hell is he doing at your place at this time of the morning?”

“He had some information about our friend Tamara. I’ll explain when I get to the station. Give me ten minutes.” She sighed. Ten minutes was not nearly long enough for the long hot shower she desperately wanted, but it would have to do.

On the other end of the line, David hesitated. “Bring him with you.” he said, and hung up.

\----

Ten minutes later, Emma, Henry and Hook were down at the station, where David and Leroy were sitting opposite a disgruntled Sidney Glass, Mary Margaret hovering nearby. “Here,” she handed her daughter a much-needed coffee, and announced she was taking Henry for a walk.

“No.” said Hook, blocking her exit. “I’m sorry, but you can’t.”

“ _What?_ ”

He glanced at Emma, this would be better coming from her.

“Mom, I think we should all stay here. I’ll explain later.”

Mary Margaret looked at Hook like she wanted to hang him from the rafters, but she stepped away from him. Henry gave her hug “It’s okay, grandma” he said, smiling reassuringly at her.

Leroy was looking at Hook with nothing short of pure loathing, “pirate” he muttered under his breath. “Dwarf” Hook retaliated a little less softly, shooting him a look of utter contempt. _Great_ , Emma thought, _two steps forward, one step back._

At the word “pirate”, Sidney looked up sharply and turned around. “You!” he exclaimed. “You were in Regina’s castle! You were supposed to kill her mother. You tricked her!”

“Aye, that I was,” said Hook, “but it was _Cora_ who tricked us both.” He advanced on Sidney, trying to place him, but drawing a blank. He narrowed his eyes, dangerously “But how do _you_ know _that_?” he leaned in, his voice lowering to a growl and his face uncomfortably close to Sidney’s.

Sidney swallowed loudly, his eyes widening in fear as the pirate brought his hook to rest on Sidney’s shoulder.

“Ah… yes.” Hook murmured, as he worked it out. “Sidney _Glass_. How very clever. _Mirror, mirror, on the wall…_ ” he said softly in a sing-song voice that sounded uncannily like Regina.

Behind him, Emma unconsciously moved closer to her mother and son, suddenly reminded of how threatening Hook could be when he chose to. If he was aware of it, he chose to ignore it, instead looking up at David, and then back at Sidney. “I hope you’re co-operating with the Deputy Sheriff here?” he inquired politely, the ice in his voice sending shivers down Sidney’s spine. “I’d hate for Ms Swan to have to clean up a mess in her office this early on a Sunday morning. It is, traditionally, supposed to be a day of rest, is it not?”

He stepped back, to let his words sink in, and David sent him a somewhat reluctant look of thanks as Sidney cowered in his seat.

\----

It didn’t take David long to get the information they needed out of Sidney. Hook, leaning against the wall, a study in casual boredom, sharpening his hook with a nailfile he found on Emma’s desk. Having gotten the password to his laptop ( _Qu33nie – really_?! thought Emma in disgust), which Leroy had snatched from Sidney’s office, it didn’t take Emma long to find the trail of Neal’s credit card payments, and a heap of messages to Mayor Mills from his cell phone. The trail ran cold a week ago. There were no more credit card payments on Neal’s card beyond a gas station on his way to Storybrooke, and the only messages between Sidney and Regina were sickeningly cloying messages from Sidney asking after Regina, which had clearly gone unanswered.

After Emma had wiped the phone tapping software from his laptop, a temporary solution, but a start at least, they were left with the problem of what to do with Sidney. Hook wondered, aloud, when the next full moon was, and if perhaps a lock might not be fully secured. Mary Margaret threw him a filthy look which only succeeded in eliciting a delighted smirk. Emma rolled her eyes, not sure whether to laugh or despair.

“We’ll have to keep him here.” David concluded. “We have enough evidence to hold him.” Emma agreed with her father. They locked Sidney in one of the cells.

“I’m hungry,” announced Henry.

“You’re always hungry!” smiled Emma.

“Let’s all go and have breakfast at Granny’s,” suggested her mother, heading for the door, “my treat.”

Once again, she found Hook barring the door, shaking his head.

“ _What?!_ ”

“Damn.” said Emma, “We can’t go to the diner. Tamara’s staying at the guesthouse.”

“So?” asked her parents, simultaneously.

“So, it’s not safe.” growled Hook. He exchanged glances with Emma. “The Blue Fairy,” he reminded her “you promised.”

“Okay, okay.” she nodded, turning to her mother. “Can we go back to your place and eat there?” Mary Margaret looked confused but nodded. “Send a message to Ruby, ask her and / or Granny to join us, if they can get away from the diner.” She turned to Leroy, “Can you go down to the convalescent home and fetch Mother Superior? Tell her it’s urgent. Bring her to Mary Margaret’s as soon as you can. But don’t mention Tamara. Or Hook. If she asks, tell her Henry’s sick and we can’t get hold of Dr Whale or something.”

Leroy nodded. He had no idea who Tamara was, or what was going on, but if it concerned Snow White and her family, he was all over it.

\----

The Charmings and Hook headed back to David and Mary Margaret’s apartment, and she started making breakfast., Henry and Emma helping her in the kitchen, while David turned to Hook. “So, are you going to explain what you were doing in my daughter’s apartment at 7 o’clock this morning?”

“Other than being rudely awoken by that blasted, what did you call it, love, phone?”

“You _slept_ at her apartment last night?”

“Well, I didn’t sleep much, as it happens…”

“ _Hook!_ ” warned Emma, rushing over to grab her father’s sleeve before he could wipe the smile off the pirate’s face, “You _really_ don’t want to go there.” she scolded Hook. She stood between them, turning back to face her father. “Don’t listen to him. He’s only trying to wind you up. He’s very childish.”

“Am not”, Hook grumbled, doing nothing for his case. He’d been thoroughly chivalrous, and now he was being held to account by her father, and insulted by Emma?! It was too much! All this for a woman who was still in love with the crocodile’s son? What was he thinking?

“He didn’t want to leave us alone after telling us about Tamara. He slept on the couch.” Emma clarified. “He was the perfect gentleman, actually.” She shot Hook a conciliatory look.

“Aye, so I was, lass.” he murmured, feeling a little better.

David looked unconvinced, and turned to Henry for confirmation. “He was. Mom shared my bed.”

Reassured, David resumed his questioning, “So, what’s all this about Tamara? What was so important that you rushed over to my daughter’s apartment in the middle of the night and refused to leave?”

Emma groaned. Why did everything involving Hook end up being so melodramatic?

“Dad, can we wait until Blue and the others get here?” She didn’t want to have to go through this twice.

“How many am I cooking for?” asked Mary Margaret.

“Me!” said Henry and Hook at the same time. “Please.” they both added.

“Snap!” cried Henry, and Hook ducked his head in alarm, looking round nervously.

Emma and Mary Margaret looked at him in amusement.

“What?” he demanded, looking extremely put out, “you don’t say _snap_ to someone who lost his hand to a crocodile, even a metaphorical one.”

Emma choked back a giggle. “Point taken” she said, trying to keep a straight face, as her father dissolved into guffaws of laughter “ _Snap_!” he choked out between sobs of mirth, “ _Snap!_ ” She kicked him under the table.

He was saved from Hook’s wrath by his wife thrusting a cup of tea into Hook’s hand, and a knock on the door and the arrival of the others.

\----

They listened carefully as Hook retold the same story he told Emma the night before, leaving out some of the details about Milah. “You’ve heard of the Sirens?” he asked Blue.

She nodded, “But I thought they were just a myth? They’re not from our world.” She frowned.

“And Hera?” he questioned.

“Yes. I’ve heard of Maleficent falling out with her. You think that she and her family were banished to this world?”

“It’s possible isn’t it?”

“Yes. If Maleficent had access to the dark curse, it’s certainly possible. But are you sure that Tamara is her grand-daughter?”

Hook nodded. “I’m sure.” he said grimly.

Blue looked uncomfortable. “Then we’re all in grave danger. Especially you, Emma. You, me, and Henry. Anyone with magic, and anyone who’s closely connected to Rumplestiltskin, Regina, or Cora.”

“Belle?” interrupted Granny, worriedly.

“Yes, anyone she can use as leverage to help her steal magic from someone.”

“Can you stop her?” asked Emma.

The Blue Fairy shook her head, uncertainly, “I don’t know. I’ve never encountered her before. I don’t know if she _has_ magic, or how powerful she is, if she does.”

“Can you find out?” Hook asked, urgently.

“I can try.” she said slowly, “I may be able to sense it, if I can get close enough to her. But that might be dangerous…”

“But, if Gold or Cora could steal your magic, surely they would have done so, by now?” Emma asked. “She couldn’t do that to you, could she?” This was _not_ reassuring.

“I honestly don’t know, Emma. She’s from another world, a world with powerful magic, by all accounts. I don’t know what she might be capable of. I don’t know how their magic works there, or if it works differently here.”

“Then, can you at least teach Emma some defensive magic?!”Hook pleaded in frustration.

Blue looked at him oddly, apparently not perturbed by how close he was suddenly standing to her, or the intimidating posture he had unconsciously adopted, curious.

“Yes. I can teach you some protective magic. If you want to learn.” she said to Emma, who nodded. “But I fear we don’t have time. Cora and Regina could return at any time, and if they return with Rumplestiltskin, they could kill us all. Never mind what Tamara might be planning.”

“What can we do?” cried Snow.

The Blue Fairy sighed. “Nothing, I’m afraid, but be prepared to fight. Fight as you’ve always done for what you know to be right and true.” She turned back to Emma. “I’ll teach you what I can today, but then you must go. You and Henry. It isn’t safe for you here. Not with everything that’s going on.”

“Go where?!”

Blue hesitated. “Beyond the town boundaries. Go with the Captain on his ship. Sail as far away as you can, and don’t come back until Cora has been defeated and we’ve learned what we’re up against with Tamara.”

“No! I’m not losing her again!” cried Snow. “Wherever she goes, I go!”

Blue shook her head. “If you cross the town line, you’ll lose your memory. You can’t go with her.”

“This is ridiculous!” roared David. “There must be another way. You lied to us about the wardrobe, maybe you’re lying about this too!”

Emma shook her head. “She’s not. But I won’t do it. I’m not running. I’ll stay here and fight with the rest of you.”

David looked at her proudly. She sounded just like her mother.

“Emma, you can’t stay. It’s too dangerous. You and Henry, you’re our only chance to make all this fighting stop. End these blood feuds. We need to keep you safe.” Blue pleaded.

“I’m not leaving my family again!”

“Emma,” Hook pleaded, grabbing her arm, “listen to her?”

She shook him off furiously. “No!”

Blue looked helplessly at Hook and Granny.

“You leave Tamara to me.” said the older woman, grimly. “Ruby and I will find out what she’s up to.” She turned to Hook, asking quietly “If she remembers who she is, she’d recognise you, wouldn’t she? I mean, you haven’t changed much, right?”

“Apart from this” he waved his hook, “and this,” revealing the tattoo on his arm, “no.” He pondered for a while. “She spied on us for weeks, she _might_ remember me. But that was three hundred years ago!” he frowned.

“Well she doesn’t look three hundred years old, any more then you do, but maybe you shouldn't let her see you.”

“Why isn't she older?” interrupted Henry. “How is that possible?”

“Well, maybe, time didn’t move on for her until someone jogged her memory. Just like it didn’t here. Everyone stayed frozen in time until Emma came along. Maybe Tamara was stuck in time, too. Just for a lot longer.” reasoned Granny.

“Until she met Neal.” said Emma. “Someone from another land, someone who’s known magic.”

 ----

 Granny returned to the diner, accompanied by Leroy, to find Tamara sitting at the counter having a cup of coffee, chatting to Ruby. Leroy sat down on the stool next to her.

“Best not let Mayor Mills catch you sitting there when she gets back, she doesn’t like anyone sitting in her seat.” he said, gruffly.

“Regina Mills?” she asked evenly, “Henry’s adopted mother?” the expression on her face was pleasant, mildly curious, but Ruby noticed the faintest twitch at the corner of her mouth, the slight narrowing of her eyes, the stiffening of her spine.

She excused herself, “I’ll be back in a moment.” following her grandmother into the kitchen. “She’s had sex with someone. Recently.” she told her grandmother in a whisper, “I can smell it on her.”

Granny looked up sharply, “But Neal isn’t here!”

Ruby nodded, “I know. I think it’s Greg.”

“Greg?! Well, isn’t _that_ interesting…”

\----

Blue arranged for Emma to meet her at the nursing home. “We’ll need somewhere discrete to practice. We can use the woods behind the home. I’ll see you there in half an hour.” A she turned to leave, she caught Hook’s arm, “A word, Captain?” and led him outside.

“So, I see you’ve finally decided which way the wind is blowing?”

“I’ve always known which the wind is blowing!” he protested “but sometimes you have no choice but to sail into the wind to get where you need to go!”

“And sometimes the current takes you to where you need to be, even when you try hard to sail against it.” she said softly. “There’s a reason you’re here, Captain Jones, and it’s not to skin the crocodile, but I think you know that. The boy will be his undoing, not you. Keep him safe. Keep his mother safe.”

Hook’s eyes narrowed “How do you know about the prophecy?”

“I was there in the woods, talking with the Seer before Rumplestiltskin killed her. I hid, but overheard everything. It was I who told Pinocchio, before he went through the wardrobe, although I don’t think he understood why it was important at the time. Who told you?”

“Baelfire. He said a man named August told him that Rumplestiltskin threatened to kill the boy.”

“In this land, Pinocchio is called August.” she clarified. “Does Emma know?”

“No. Baelfire doesn’t want her to know. She has enough to worry about.”

“Like you?” The Blue Fairy teased.

“I do my best to divert her attention.” he shrugged, with a half-smile.

“Will you tell her?”

Hook hesitated. “Not unless I have to. I don’t think she’d believe it coming from me anyway.”

Blue nodded. “Probably not.” she agreed. “You really do choose the most inappropriate women to fall in love with, Captain.”

“You don’t choose…” he protested, but Blue was gone.

He turned back into the apartment, where Emma was discussing the situation with her parents. They fell silent as Hook entered the room.

“Tell us more about Hera.” Snow demanded. “How dangerous was she?”

“On a scale of one to Cora?” Hook raised his eyebrows, “I’d say they were a pretty even match. She had her fingers in everything. Like the crocodile does here.”

“Do you think she came to this world with her daughter and grand-daughter?”

“How should I know? Maleficient enacted the curse, not I! I bloody hope not, for everyone’s sake. But if she did, and I meet her again, I will take great pleasure running her through with my hook for what her Sirens did to my crew!”

“ _Hook!_ ” protested Emma.

“I’ll do it beyond the town boundaries and spare you the paperwork, lass.” he said with a sneer.

David turned to his wife and daughter “See, he’s nothing but a lecherous, thieving, murderous scumbag!” he accused.

“I prefer Captain!” Hook growled, his eyes glinting dangerously.

“Enough!” said Mary Margaret in exasperation. “We’re all on the same side here, aren’t we?” she asked pointedly, looking at Hook. He nodded. “Then I’d prefer not to be washing blood out of the carpet!” She walked up to Hook, her face right into his, the way he liked to do to others. He seemed to enjoy it a little less when he was on the receiving end. “I don’t trust you, and I don’t think my daughter fully trusts you either, but she _does_ believe you’re not lying to us about this.” she dropped her voice so that no-one else could hear her and asked urgently, “If everything goes wrong and our lives are at stake, will you get Emma and Henry to safety? Even if you have to fight her tooth and nail to do it? Can I trust you to save Milah’s grandson and his mother?”

Hook looked down at her, seeing Snow, not Mary Margaret, every bit as brave and stubborn as her daughter, and every bit as desperate to protect the ones she loved.

"She won't like it. She'll want to stay and fight with you." he said quietly.

"I know. That's why I'm asking _you_." her eyes were fierce, and he understood that she hated asking every bit as much as Bae had, but she was giving him the benefit of the doubt.

He nodded his agreement. Knowing that she didn’t want Emma or David to know what she’d just asked him, he curled his lip in apparent disdain and said loudly, in a bored voice, “Fine, milady, I promise not to run your husband through with my sword and spill his blood on your precious carpet. Although,” he smirked “it does seem a pity to deny myself the pleasure of seeing you on your knees scrubbing it.”

 _Oh for heaven’s sake!_ “Time to go!” said Emma quickly, as David's hand curled into a fist. She grabbed Hook by the arm and dragged him out of the apartment, still smirking. “Don’t let Henry out of your sight!” she called back to her parents.

Outside, she punched Hook hard in the shoulder.

"Hey! What was that for?" he scowled.

"Where do I start?!" she cried in complete exasperation.


	12. Swan's Thief

_A week ago_

Regina and Cora followed Neal until they were well outside town. As he pulled into a gas station, they pulled over to the side of the road, keeping him firmly in sight. _So, this is Henry’s father_ , Regina thought, looking him up and down as he walked to the cashier’s office. She’d barely got a glance at him in Storybrooke in all the chaos before he and Gold fled. She’d expected someone more, sophisticated, more like his father, but his son seemed nothing out of the ordinary, and his attire left much to be desired. What had Emma seen in him? “What’s the plan?” she asked her mother.

“We overpower him, tie him up, and then you point your gun at him until he agrees to do what we want.”

“ _That’s_ your plan?”

Cora shrugged. “I could be much more creative if we had a little magic...”

“Well, we’ll have to think again, because I don’t have a gun either.” Regina knew they didn’t let people carry guns on planes. She’d had to leave it behind in her car at the airport.

“I thought everyone in this world had a gun?” Cora looked genuinely puzzled “How do people defend themselves against their enemies?”

“Most of them settle their arguments with their fists.”

“How terribly… uncouth.” Cora turned her nose up.

Neal walked back out of the gas station and Cora and Regina sunk a little lower in their seats. Clearly they had missed this opportunity. The cashier, a pretty young woman, leant out of the window watching his retreating ass, and called out after him. He turned and waved at her with a cheeky smile, and returned to his car with just a hint of a swagger in his step. _Hmmmn_ , Regina thought, _maybe there_ is _something…_

 

\----

Cora and Regina followed Neal at a discrete distance for the rest of the day, which gave them a chance to come up with a plan. Late in the afternoon he pulled into a motel, and after watching to make sure he checked in, they drove down the main street to look for what they needed.

 

\----

Neal didn’t know what hit him as he left the motel the next morning. One minute he was slinging his bag over his shoulder and closing the door behind him, the next minute he was being bundled into the back of a car with a bag over his head and a gun to his back. Only when they were safely outside town and found a wooded lane to pull into, did Regina stop the car and pull off the bag.

Almost immediately he tried to make a run for it, but Cora almost casually stuck out her foot and tripped him. “Oops! Clumsy boy,” she chided, smiling sweetly.

Regina went to help him up. Checking his hands were still safely tied in front of him, she hoisted him up by the arm. _Nice, firm biceps_ , she noted. She flashed him one of her sweetest smiles, “Hello Baelfire.”

He glared back at her. “Mayor Mills.”

“Regina, please, after all… we’re family now.”

“And families are in the habit of kidnapping, blackmailing, and trying to kill each other are they?” he asked quietly.

 _This was Rumplestiltskin’s son_?! “Have you met my mother?” she laughed.

 

\----

Getting Neal to co-operate was not as easy as they thought. Over the next few days, he did everything he could to frustrate them, short of getting himself shot. From small-scale rebellion like hiding the car keys, to stealing Cora’s hairpins and jamming them into the locks of the car rendering them useless and forcing Regina to exchange their hire car and pay for the damage. Every time Regina turned her gun on him, he just led them on a wild goose chase. The problem was, if they actually used the gun, he was never going to lead them to his father. They needed him, and he knew it, and played up as much as he could. It was surprising how much trouble he could get into even with his hands tied. Years of living on the streets and conning people with his easy charm gave him the advantage. He was just as annoying as his former girlfriend and that damn pirate. Turn your back on any of them for a minute and you were in trouble. Although to be fair, she found him a little easier on the eye.

Unfortunately he was rapidly becoming less easy on the nose. Neither of the trusted him not to run if they released his hands, and there was no way he could undress and wash himself with his hands tied. Unzipping his fly to use the bathroom was one thing. Taking a shower was quite another.

Cora’s patience was wearing thin. “If we’re going to continue to share a small space with him, he’s going to need a wash.” she instructed Regina.

“Why are you looking at me?”

“Well, I’m not doing it, darling!”

Regina scowled at her mother. Really, she was no help at all without magic. “Fine.” she snapped. Wondering how the hell she was going to pull this one off?

Baelfire was very keen on the idea of a shower. Not nearly so keen on sharing one with Regina and her mother, but he could see their point. He was beginning to disgust himself. So, when Regina offered him a length of garden chain and padlock and told him she’d chain him to the shower rail by his waist and let him wash himself, he agreed to the compromise. However, that still left the little matter of the fact that Regina, and Cora, would still be in the bathroom with him, and this was one of those bathrooms with a walk-in shower and no modesty panel.

Regina fastened the chain around his waist and looped it round the towel rail, and then untied his hands, while Cora pointed the gun at him. This was really very tiresome, she thought. Cora had no desire to see Rumplestiltskin’s son naked, or any other man for that matter. She’d never been terribly interested in the flesh in the first place, and if all that time around Hook and that pretty face of his had done nothing for her, it was unlikely she’d find Baelfire any more appealing. However, she hadn’t anticipated her daughter’s reaction to the situation.

Regina was positively flustered, but tried her damnedest to hide it, as Neal began to strip in front of her. She couldn’t help but notice how well defined his muscles were. He was of heavier build than Graham, but he still had that same hard, toned, look about him. _Yes_ , she thought, _yes, I can see what Ms Swan saw in you_. It occurred to her what delicious revenge it would be, if Baelfire became a replacement for Graham. She smiled at the thought of Emma’s reaction. If she controlled Baelfire, she could control Rumplestiltskin. And they wouldn’t need to kill anyone… she could enjoying watching Snow and her family suffer indefinitely. What chance would a former thief who’d willingly given her son up for adoption and never informed the father, stand in a custody battle with against his adopted mother and birth father? Maybe there was a way for her to win without Rumplestiltskin or the dagger…

So, when Neal dropped the soap, and couldn’t bend down far enough to pick it up, she moved to do it for him without thinking. He kicked out at her, and she slipped, collapsing in a heap in the shower with him, while he struggled to lift the key from her pocket.

Cora calmly pointed the gun at his leg and pulled the trigger.

 _Really_ , she thinks, _what is it that attracts my daughter to these losers?_

As Neal spit and cursed in pain, clutching at his leg, Cora helped her daughter up. “Regina, darling, I’m a little bored with all this. Let’s get back in the car, drive back to Storybrooke, and rip his heart out. Make Rumplestiltskin come to us. So much less tedious, don’t you think?”

Regina agreed. Damn Swan and her bloody thief.

So that’s what they did. A couple of days later they snuck across the town line and headed for Regina’s vault. Cora ripped Neal’s heart from his chest and held it up to the camera of her daughter’s phone, and they sent Rumplestiltskin a very clear video message. Then they waited, looking forward to his return.

 

\----

Mr Gold called Emma Swan, frantically. But Emma didn’t hear her phone. She was standing in a clearing behind the convalescent home with Blue, using magic to fend off Hook as he tried to attack her. He didn’t put much effort into it at first, making it easy for her, but after being thrown back into a tree and bruising his shoulder, he really got into it, throwing himself at her with a little more gusto. _Infuriating bloody woman_ , he thought, and launched himself towards her, swinging his sword.

“Concentrate, Emma, on _feeling_ the barrier.” Blue encouraged her. “Feel the wall coming up between you!”

 _Great_ , thought Hook _, just what we need. More bloody walls!_ But he yelled “Come on, Swan, you’re not even trying, I’m starting to think you don’t _want_ me to leave you alone!”

Emma felt a surge of annoyance and suddenly there was an invisible barrier between her and Hook which sent him sprawling on the ground, his sword clattering to his side. “Well done!” cried Blue. Emma grinned and Hook smirked up at her.

“You said that on purpose!” she accused.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about Swan. Don’t be ridiculous.” he huffed, trying but failing to hide a smile. Yes, he was getting to her.

Mr Gold called Mary Margaret, but her phone was engaged. She was talking to Granny, who was relaying what Ruby had seen and sensed about Tamara.

Mr Gold called David, but Charming was teaching Henry to swordfight in their living room. The time for wooden swords had passed. This time Henry was learning to swing a real one.

Mr Gold called Dr Whale, but was told he was in surgery.

Mr Gold called Dr Hopper, but he was with a client and didn’t answer.

And it was then that Gold realised there was really nobody left for him to call.

He considered his options. He could abandon Bae, again, and lose his son forever. Or he could do what the witches asked, and return to Storybrooke and trade his power, and possibly his life, for his son, and in doing so probably condemn the Charmings to death.  None of them answered their bloody phones anyway, he thought. And then it also occurred to him, if Bae hadn’t been so anxious to visit Emma and his son, he would not have been captured in the first place. _The boy will be your undoing._ Perhaps, after all, he would.

Mr Gold called for a taxi to take him to the nearest airport, and booked the first available flight to Logan.

\----

Cora broke into someone’s house and stole a family photograph, using it to transform herself into the women in the picture. She didn’t know who it was, and didn’t care. It allowed her to move through the town unrecognised and keep an eye on what was going on. What she saw was very interesting. A tall black woman, she’d never seen before, left Granny’s diner and headed for the woods in a furtive manner, with the she-wolf on her tail. There was an energy in the air around her, a disturbance, and Cora knew this woman had magic. Dark, strong, unstable, magic. She followed the woman and the she-wolf deep into the woods, to a trailer, and watched as the woman went inside. She snuck closer and listened. She couldn’t hear what was being said, but could hear a man’s voice she didn’t recognise, and heard him say “Tamara”, in fear.

Ruby strained to hear Tamara inside the trailer talking to August. It sounded like she was threatening him, and she could smell fear. A movement in the trees distracted her and she shifted her attention, missing what they were saying. She saw a woman she didn’t recognise disappearing. But when she sniffed deeply she smelled violets and roses: Cora.

Ruby started to run, as only a wolf can run, back to her friends, back to Snow, back to Emma.

\----

“Regina!” called Cora and she resumed her normal form. “I think we have a new problem. Do you know someone called Tamara?”

“Tamara?” Neal, looked up sharply. “My fiancée’s called Tamara.”

“Is she now?” Cora smiled dangerously, “Isn’t that interesting… You claim to have been running away from magic, and yet you’ve ended up with Ms Swan and now this witch Tamara.”

“What are you talking about? Tamara’s not a witch, she's from New York. Tamara’s _in_ New York!”

“Not anymore.” replied Cora, smoothly. “She’s here in Storybrooke. And trust me, Baelfire, I know magic when I see it. Now, why don’t you make this easy on yourself and tell me everything you know about her.”

Neal said nothing, struggling to take in what Cora had just told him. Cora waited a moment, “Very well, then.” She held out her hand to her daughter, who opened a small wooden box on her desk. “Or would _you_ like to do the honours?”

Regina thought about the fool she made of herself in the shower, and turned to her mother “You know,” she said, smiling sweetly, “I think I will, Mother.”

As Regina’s hand squeezed Neal's heart painfully, he was reminded once again, of just how much he hated magic.


	13. Threads

Ruby ran straight to Snow and told the Charmings what she’d seen and heard.

“Cora’s _here_? Are you sure?”

“She didn’t look like herself, she looked like that woman from the launderette, but it was her, I’m sure of it.”

“And she knows about Tamara?”

“I don’t know, but I can only assume she heard what I heard, Tamara threatening August.”

“Where is he?” asked David, alarmed.

“If Cora is back,” said Snow, slowly, “does that mean she’s found Rumplestiltskin?”

David shook his head, “Surely we’d all be dead by now if she had?”

“We need to warn Emma.” Snow’s face was desperate.

She and David both reached into their pockets and drew out their phones to call her, both registering a missed call from an unknown number. Same thing, same time. They looked at each other fearfully “This can’t be good.” David called Emma frantically but she didn’t pick up.

“I’m on it!” cried Ruby and sprinted out of the door.

\----

Gold disembarked from the plane, only slightly less shaken by the experience than the first time he’d flown, and headed for the taxi rank.

\----

Tamara opened her door, expecting to see Greg, but instead it was Neal. She was able to cover her surprise in a show of delight. “Neal, baby! I’ve been looking everywhere for you, I was so worried! Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine!” he said, kissing her, “What are you doing here?”

“I was worried about you, disappearing like that, I hadn’t heard from you in over a week, you didn’t answer my calls. I found a postcard in your flat with the name of this town on it, so I came here looking for you. Oh, thank god you’re alright!” she gushed, pulling him down on to the bed beside her.

Cora wrinkled her nose in disgust. She didn’t want to experience this, even second-hand, but needs must…

\----

Regina caught up with August just before he reached the town line. “Where do you think you’re going?” she asked, sweetly.

\----

Ruby barrelled into the clearing where Emma had just sent Hook sprawling on his back again. She was leaning down to help him up, when Ruby came to a halt beside them. “Emma, Cora’s back in Storybrooke, so Regina’s probably back too. And Tamara’s involved with Greg and was threatening August, and you have to get home, _now_!” she rushed, tugging on Emma’s arm.

“Wait, what, slow down… Cora’s here?” Emma jerked her arm away from Ruby. “Has anyone heard from Gold? Where is he?” Ruby shrugged. Emma reached for her phone and saw a missed call from an unknown number.

“Emma, we need to go” Ruby pleaded, but Emma stood rooted to the spot, her face pale. She wasn’t ready for this. She wasn’t nearly ready.

“Emma, love, I think it’s time to go.” Hook grabbed at her hand and pulled her out of her reverie.

“Who’s Greg?” he yelled at Ruby as they started to run.

“The man who was driving the car that hit you. The night you hurt Belle.” she shot a look of pure loathing at him over her shoulder.

“Marvellous!”  Hook smiled grimly, “I owe him a few bruises.”

\----

“Mom!” Henry threw himself at her, knocking the wind out of her as she came through the door. “I’m scared. What’s going on?”

“I’m scared too, kid, but it’s going to be alright. Nothing’s going to happen to you, I promise. We’ve just got a situation to sort out with Cora and Tamara.”

“Where’s Hook?” frowned Mary Margaret.

“He’ll be here soon. He just went back to his ship to do… something” she finished uncertainly. In truth, she had no idea what he was doing.

“He let you come here alone?” David asked angrily.

“Actually, no, he saw me to the door and then left.”

“Oh.”

\----

Ruby returned to the diner to find Granny and Leroy waiting for her with a look of concern. “Neal’s here. He’s with Tamara.”

“Cora’s here too! And I heard Tamara threaten August.”

“Cora’s here?” Granny’s eyes widened in alarm. “We need to warn him! Where’s Emma?”

“At her parents’ place with Henry. They know about Cora and Tamara.”

“Good. Call them and warn them that Neal is here.” Granny grabbed her coat and her crossbow and headed for the door. “Then send everyone home and close up early. Leroy, keep my granddaughter safe.”

“Where are you going?” Ruby asked, alarmed.

“To do something I should have done a long time ago - but for a different reason.” Granny said, cryptically, and took off down the road.

\----

Hook ran to his ship and started preparing it frantically. Stowing everything away, checking the rigging, coiling ropes, loosening the moorings, determined to be ready for a quick getaway. He didn’t have much in the way of provisions aboard, but it would have to do. They could worry about that later. Breathless and fearful he headed towards the Charmings apartment.

 ----

“Why are you really here?” Neal asked.

“I told you, I was worried about you.” Tamara eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

“Do you know who I am?” he insisted.

Tamara looked at him curiously. She could sense something was wrong. He had been near magic, recently. But she decided to humour him, play for time. “You’re Neal Cassidy. My fiancé. From Manhattan. You have a son called Henry, with a woman named Emma Swan, who lives here in Storybrooke. And an estranged father, whom she reintroduced you to. What’s wrong, Neal? What’s the matter, hun?”

\----

Damn it, thought Cora. She knows something’s wrong. She turned to August, who Regina had tied to a chair. “Who is she?” she demanded.

August said nothing. Cora sighed impatiently. “We can do this the hard way or the easy way,” she smiled, conjuring a ball of fire in her hand.

“I don’t know!” the wooden August cried, eyeing the fire fearfully. “Honest. I met her a year or so ago in Hong Kong. I stole money from her to pay for something, for magic, but it turns out she was the real thief, because she stole the magic from me, and killed The Dragon.”

“Dragon? What dragon?” Regina asked sharply. It couldn’t have been? No, Maleficent had been locked in the cave below the library.

“The Dragon, a Chinaman, a healer. I don’t think he was from our world.”

“This dragon, he had magic?”

“Yes. But Tamara stole it from him and killed him.”

“How is that possible?” Regina hissed at her mother. “This is supposed to be The Land Without Magic! That was the whole point of the curse!”

“Was it, dear? I thought Rumplestiltskin created it as a way of getting back to his son?”

“But, Mother, nobody else in this world was supposed to have magic! How could this dragon, or Tamara have magic when there isn’t supposed to be any?” Regina frowned.

“Don’t whine dear, it doesn’t suit you. You’re a Queen, remember, Queens don’t whine and frown, they command and demand.”

“Fine.” Regina said, through gritted teeth, “Tell me, Mother dearest, how did magic come to be in this world?” she demanded.

“Didn’t you trade curses with Maleficent? Didn’t she warn you about the cost of using The Dark Curse?”

Regina gasped. “She used it! She sent others here before me!”

“That would seem to be the case, dear, but the question remains – who _is_ Tamara? Is she a threat to us? And are there others?”

\----

David went to see Anton, hoping for an escape plan. But the beans weren’t ready. They still needed a few more weeks to grow to full strength. He explained the danger and Anton swore to do anything he could to help Emma, and headed off to find the other dwarves.

\----

Ruby and Leroy closed up the diner, and went to warn the rest of the dwarves. On their way they ran into Ella and Sean, out for an evening stroll with their baby. “Ella, go home,” Ruby counselled in a low voice. “Lock the doors and stay inside, and don’t come out, whatever you hear, whatever you see.”

“Why?” Ella asked, her eyes widening.

“Please Ella, just do it. Tell everyone you know to stay at home tonight. Not to come into town. Please?”

Leroy asked Anton and the dwarves to meet him at the mines. “I have an idea” he said, grimly.

\----

Ruby returned to Snow’s to find the Charmings discussing what to do next.

\----

The door of Tamara’s room opened and Greg slipped inside, unaware that Neal was already there. “Who are you?” Neal scowled in confusion.

“Just my neighbour.” Tamara answered evenly, “Has your TV stopped working again?” she asked, staring at Greg pointedly, willing him with a sharp look to play along.

“Yes,” he stammered, covering his surprise quickly, “but I can see you’re busy, I’ll go ask Mrs Lucas for help.”

“Not so fast!” cried Neal, blocking Greg’s exit as he turned to leave. “A man doesn’t just enter a woman’s room without knocking first. Can someone tell me what’s going on?”

\----

Regina gasped as she recognised the look on Greg’s face, as witnessed through the heart in her Mother’s hand. “I know who he is!” she whispered, the colour draining from her cheeks, “Owen!”

“Owen?” Cora inquired, puzzled.

“Someone from long ago. He and his father were camping in the woods the day I cast the curse. His father asked too many questions… I had to silence him. Owen ran away. Oh, how’s he grown! He was just a little boy.” Cora couldn’t fathom the look on her daughter’s face, it was almost as though she loved this man, or the boy he was once upon a time. “Why didn’t I recognise him from before?” she whispered.

“More to the point, my dear, what is he doing with Tamara? For a town that’s supposed to be undetectable without magic, two strangers in a few weeks seems like a big coincidence. I think it’s time to go and get some answers.”

“What shall we do with our little wooden friend here?” wondered Regina.

“Bring him. He may come in useful.” Regina untied August from the chair, making sure his hands were securely fastened, and the three of them left the crypt and hurried towards town. 

**Author's Note:**

> A lot happens in the next chapter, and I'm not happy with the way it meshes together yet. It's been torturing me for a few weeks, so I've decided to split this story into a three-part series, so that I can move on to what happens between Hook, Emma and Henry when they get washed up together on a strange shore, and we find out what happened in Neverland between Hook, Peter, Jefferson and Baelfire in Part 2, which has been almost ready to post for quite some time. Eventually there will be a Part 3 when they return to Storybrooke, but that's still a long way off!


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